Oblique Seville of Jamaica stunned the athletics world on Saturday by clocking the fastest 100 meters of the year at the Racer Grand Prix meet, completing the sprint in an impressive 9.82 seconds. This remarkable performance, assisted by a tailwind of 0.9 m/sec, saw the 23-year-old shatter his previous personal best of 9.86 seconds and decisively beat reigning world champion Noah Lyles, who finished in 9.85 seconds, just shy of his own best of 9.83 seconds.

"I feel good," Seville said after the race. "I'm a little surprised. It's special to be able to run so fast without too much specific work. It shows that I can still do better."

Seville's coach, Glen Mills, who previously mentored legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, has been instrumental in his development. Since Bolt's retirement in 2017, Jamaica has been searching for a successor, and Seville's recent achievements suggest he might be the one. Seville's accolades include fourth-place finishes in the 4x100m relay at the Tokyo Olympics and in the 100m at the World Championships in both 2022 and 2023.

The race against Lyles was particularly notable, with Seville giving the American star a defiant look at the finish line. Both sprinters significantly surpassed the previous best time of 2024, which was 9.93 seconds, set by Americans Christian Miller and Kendal Williams.

Lyles, who secured titles in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the World Championships in Budapest last year, remains a strong contender for the upcoming Paris Olympics despite the defeat.

In the women's 100 meters, Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred set a world-leading time for 2024, clocking 10.78 seconds with a 1.3 m/s tailwind. The 22-year-old, who is the reigning world indoor 60m champion, demonstrated her potential to vie for gold at the Paris Olympics.

Jamaican teenager Jaydon Hibbert, 19, also made headlines by winning the triple jump with a leap of 17.75 meters (-0.7 m/s wind), setting the best mark in the world this year. Hibbert is the junior world record holder in the event.

Other notable performances included world indoor 60m hurdles champion Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas, who won the 100m hurdles in 12.64 seconds (1 m/s wind), and American Trey Cunningham, who claimed victory in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.12 seconds (0.8 m/s wind).