'I Was Even Annoyed by Myself' - Oblique Seville Reveals the Struggle Behind His 100m World Title

Oblique Seville revealed how frustration with past performances motivated him to push harder and ultimately claim the 100m world title.

Reigning world 100m champion Oblique Seville has opened up about the one thing that bothered him and forced him to put in extra work to finally claim the title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Competing in the men’s 100m final, Oblique Seville was in a class of his own with a dominant display that saw him claim the gold medal in the race, clocking a personal best time of 9.77 seconds.

Kishane Thompson, the Olympic 100m silver medallist, came in second with a time of 9.82 seconds, with Noah Lyles, the reigning Olympic champion, coming in third in 9.89 seconds.

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Oblique Seville revealed that his journey to winning the 100m world title was not a walk in the park, as he got disappointed with himself with his previous performances.

Oblique Seville: I Was Tired of Finishing Fourth

Speaking with Ato Boldon on an Instagram live, Oblique Seville reflected on the challenges he has faced and the scrutiny that comes with being in the public eye.

The Jamaican sprinter acknowledged that when someone consistently positions themselves as a top performer, high expectations naturally follow, and people anticipate constant success.

Oblique Seville explained that he uses this pressure as motivation to give his best, but admitted that injuries had often prevented him from performing at his full potential.

He noted that while he had seen criticism and comments online, they did not affect him personally. What he found frustrating, however, was that the public often has no insight into the real circumstances behind a player’s struggles, leaving him to manage his difficulties privately without being able to fully explain them to the world.

“But I never take it as anything like that because I always said this: if you put yourself out there as a target at all times, you're supposed to be performing, and everyone is going to have a high expectation based on your performance,” Oblique Seville revealed.

“So they expect you to win, and you have to just state that as a motivation to say, okay, I'm going to do my best, but as I said previously, it's just that injuries were stopping me. So, when they are saying things about me and stuff, I saw some certain things on the internet. It didn't bother me.

“It just the only thing that bothers me is that only if you guys know the real truth about what is happening. But you cannot tell the world what's going on with you. You have to deal with your own problems.”

Oblique Seville admitted that at times the repeated setbacks became frustrating, and he even found himself annoyed with his own performances.

He recalled a series of disappointing finishes, including multiple fourth-place results at international competitions and an eighth-place finish at the Paris Olympic Games, which weighed heavily on his mind.

These outcomes led him to question his place in track and field, wondering whether he truly belonged or was simply occupying a lane without making an impact.

However, Oblique Seville explained that he refused to let those doubts define him. Determined to overcome the cycle of frustration, Seville resolved to make a change in his approach, and through perseverance and self-reflection, he was able to shift his mindset and move forward.

“But there are, at some point, it gets annoying, and I was even annoyed by myself, like every time I finish fourth, then eighth place, and I said no man, that got to my head, you know, literally got to my head,” he added.

“As a matter of fact, starting from the first international semi-final, a fourth place in 2022 at the Oregon world championship, fourth place in 2023, fourth place and then Paris Olympics eighth place.

“All of those things came into my mind, and I said, ‘Jesus, do you belong in track and field? Are you just here to fill lanes?’ So those thoughts were in my head, say, ‘You just here to fill lanes.’ I said, ‘No.’ And I said to myself, I have to change this. And so I did it.”

In the end, Oblique Seville’s journey to the 100m world title was a testament to resilience and self-belief. Despite setbacks, injuries, and public scrutiny, he turned frustration into motivation, refused to let doubt define him, and worked tirelessly to rewrite his narrative.