Usain Bolt’s Former Coach Glen Mills on Enforced Program Change That Made Oblique Seville Win Tokyo 100m

Usain Bolt's former coach Glen Mills, who now coaches Oblique Seville, has explained how he finally turned the 24-year old into a World 100 meter Champion after four years of near-misses in major finals.

World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, as Oblique Seville stormed to a personal-best 9.77 seconds to defeat compatriot Kishane Thompson and claim his first global title.

The race, billed as one of the most competitive in recent history, lived up to expectations. Olympic champion Noah Lyles, silver medalist Thompson, and sprint heavyweights Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo, and Akani Simbine all lined up for glory. 

But the drama began early when Tebogo false-started and was disqualified, stunning the crowd.

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When the race restarted, Thompson looked poised for gold, building strongly out of the blocks alongside Lyles. Yet, in the closing stages, Seville produced a scorching burst from the outside lane to surge past his rivals, delivering Jamaica’s first world title in the event since the legendary Usain Bolt triumphed in 2016.

It was also the first time Seville was medalling after making four major Championship finals before, but failing to medal in any.

Glen Mills Reveals Key to Breakthrough

Behind Seville’s triumph was the guiding hand of Glen Mills, the man who once coached Bolt. 

Mills revealed after the final that Seville’s rise came after a radical change in his training program, enforced by medical concerns that had previously hampered his consistency.

“He had some medical issues — nothing life-threatening, but enough to affect his ability to perform at his very best,” Mills explained to Television Jamaica.

 “We sent him to a lab in Florida where extensive testing was done, and they made several recommendations.”

The adjustments included cutting back on Seville’s sprint workload and endurance training, focusing instead on keeping him healthy. “I reduced his workload — less sprinting, less speed endurance. When we re-tested, the numbers improved,” Mills said.

 “My concern was whether cutting back so much might affect his ability to handle tough competition days, but we managed to keep him healthy enough to compete more consistently.”

Seville is “Under-worked”

Mills admitted Seville is currently “under-worked” compared to traditional programs, but the strategy has paid dividends. “We’re beginning to close in on the problem and making progress,” he added. “Just before I came here, a doctor shared another theory that could explain the issue. If it proves correct, I’ll be able to train him fully the way he needs.”

For Jamaica, Seville’s gold is more than just a personal breakthrough — it signals a new era. With Thompson also clocking a world-class 9.82 for silver, the nation that once dominated sprinting under Bolt may well be on the verge of reclaiming its mantle.