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Seville sparks Jamaican men’s sprint renaissance | The Express Tribune
TOKYO:
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who finally confirmed his promise by winning the men’s world 100 metres title on Sunday, had the perfect role mode growing up: sprint legend Usain Bolt, a man he describes as “my motivator”.
Seville timed 9.77sec to beat better-known names such as American Noah Lyles, the defending world and Olympic champion, and Jamaican teammate Kishane Thompson.
But the victory came as no surprise for the 24-year-old who has had a life rooted in track and field, with none other than Bolt as a father figure on hand to dispense advice on life and sprinting.
Seville has long been the nearly man on the global stage, albeit having notched up two 100m victories over Lyles on the Diamond League circuit this season.
After making the semi-finals of the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics, he followed up with two fourth places at the 2022 and 2023 world championships.
The modest Seville told AFP that missing the podium on those two occasions had taught him that “all the guys I competed with are very strong guys, so I have to maximise what I can do”.
“And every year so far I lost fitness because of injuries issues. So I was not really at my full fitness.”
– Bolt’s huge influence –
Seville grew up in the rural area around Ness Castle where he said roads were poor. Attending Calabar High School, he grew up playing cricket and football, but also enjoyed swimming in rivers.
“It was so much fun because I got to experiment to see which sports I was good at,” he said. “Track and field was the one for me.”
Seville said Bolt was a large part of his life and he is now coached by Glen Mills, who oversaw the magnificent career of the Jamaican legend, the 11-time world gold medallist and eight-time Olympic champion.
“We all watched Usain Bolt as kids!” he said. “I wanted coach Mills to be my coach. I said I hoped in the future he’s my coach. And it’s such a happy feeling knowing that is the one coaching me. He’s a very intelligent man.”
The retired Bolt still visits training sessions to talk to Mills and “sometimes he would talk to us. He understands everything about the sport,” Seville said.
Bolt had advised him “to find something that motivates you”.
“He said to me that his family was his motivation for sports… My family always wanted me to do great. So it’s a pleasure: I’m trying to do my best to let everyone in my family happy. Since my father passed away, Usain’s my motivator.”
Seville had predicted that Jamaican male sprinters, including himself, Ackeem Blake and Thompson would one day battle back to rule the roost.
Before his triumph on Sunday, the last Jamaican to win a men’s sprint title was Bolt in 2015, so it has been 10 years coming.
“We have a great level,” he said ahead of the world championships. “We are under 25 years old. All of the US athletes are over 25 so in the future we are going to be on top again.”
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There may be some tension between head coach Liam Coen and star quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ locker room.
During the Jaguars’ 31-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Lawrence was seen waving off Coen after throwing an inaccurate pass on a crucial down late in the game.
The play came on second down with 4:14 left and Jacksonville holding a three-point lead.
Lawrence targeted wide receiver Dyami Brown on a short pass that would have likely set up a manageable third down.
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Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars looks to pass during the second half of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sept. 14, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
But Lawrence’s throw sailed high. Brown got his hands on it but couldn’t secure the catch. Broadcast cameras then showed Coen appearing to yell at Lawrence. Coen repeatedly pounded his chest, seemingly signaling that Lawrence needed to hit his receivers lower.
Lawrence didn’t take kindly to the criticism, waving Coen off as he moved on to the next play. But after failing to convert on third down, the Jaguars went for it on fourth.
This time, Lawrence hit his top target, Brian Thomas Jr., square in the chest, but Thomas couldn’t hang on. The incompletion forced a turnover on downs, giving Cincinnati the opening it needed.
Trevor Lawrence and head coach Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars speak on the field during the second quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium on Sept. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Bengals responded with a 92-yard drive over 15 plays, capped by backup quarterback Jake Browning stretching across the goal line in the final seconds for the win. Browning was in after Joe Burrow left with a toe injury in the second quarter.
After the game, Coen downplayed the sideline exchange.
“It was just one throw. I was pissed. It is what it is. That’s emotion,” he said, via Yahoo Sports. “It’s not personal, ever. That’s just me getting worked up.
“I was very pleased with [Lawrence’s] competitive nature. The way he stayed calm on the sidelines. He’s pretty even-keel, which is good for me. I need that.”
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and head coach Liam Coen have words on the sidelines. (Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union)
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Lawrence finished 24-of-42 for 271 yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions.
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Neymar hoped to add a poker title to his litany of club and international soccer honors on Wednesday. Needless to say, it wasn’t in the cards for the Brazil superstar.
Neymar reached the final (virtual) table of the Super Tuesday High Roller event at the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker 2025, competing for a top prize of $186,434. But facing off against poker professionals and at a severe chip disadvantage, the soccer star didn’t last long before bowing out of the tournament. He finished in last place out of the seven players.
The 33-year-old forward entered the round with the fewest chips of anyone, holding less than one-third of the chip leader’s total. Despite his disappointing showing on Day 2, he still took home $26,111 after a $10,300 buy-in — not bad for a day’s work playing poker on the internet.
Neymar has been a mainstay on the high-stakes poker circuit for many years, and he has expressed plans to play professionally after retiring from soccer. In 2022, he made his first in-person appearance at a World Series of Poker event in the United States, but was eliminated before the end of Day 1. Back in 2018, he even posted a photo on Instagram back in 2018 of himself playing poker at home while he was recovering from an injury … and while Paris Saint-Germain, his club at the time, were busy clinching the Ligue 1 title.
If that isn’t enough proof of his obsession with the game, he even named his first pet dog “Poker”!
After spending six seasons with PSG and two in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal, the forward now captains his boyhood club, Santos, in the Brazilian Serie A. He has three goals in 12 appearances so far this season. However, he was left out of the latest Brazil squad by coach Carlo Ancelotti with the 2026 World Cup in North America fast approaching.
ESPN’s Doug Greenberg contributed to this report.
DUBAI: India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup clash at Dubai Stadium on Sunday was eclipsed by off-field drama after Indian players skipped the customary post-match handshake.
India thumped Pakistan by seven wickets in a Group A Asia Cup clash in Dubai, which ended on a bitter note as Indian players headed into their dressing room without a customary handshake.
Instead of greeting their opponents, Suryakumar and teammate Shivam Dube exchanged fist bumps after hitting the winning runs, congratulated each other, and then headed straight to the dressing room.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and head coach Mike Hesson later approached the Indian camp, but no players came out.
Coach Mike Hesson called it “a disappointing way for the match to end.”
“We were ready to shake hands at the end, but the opposition had already gone to the dressing room,” he said.
Pakistan, in protest, refused to attend the post-match ceremony as tensions flared in a match which was the first between the bitter rivals since May´s military action.
The cross-border clashes were sparked after an attack in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in April, which killed 26 people, with India blaming Pakistan.
A mix-up with Pakistan’s anthem before the start had already made the atmosphere tense.
The coach also shed light on Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha’s absence from the customary post-match presentation, linking it to the incident.
“I think it was just a flow-on effect. We were keen to engage and shake hands at the end of the match, that didn’t happen, and that was pretty much the end of it,” he explained.
“The team manager Naveed Cheema lodged a protest with match referee Andy Pycroft after the match,” said Pakistan’s team management in a statement after the match.
“The behaviour of Indian players was against the spirit of sportsmanship,” it added. “That is why skipper Agha was not sent to the post-match ceremony.”
India’s victorious captain Suryakumar Yadav defended his team’s decision not to shake hands with the defeated Pakistan players on Sunday, saying that it was taken in alignment with their government and cricket board.
New Delhi resisted the calls to boycott the match and cleared the team to play Pakistan only in multi-national events.
“We are aligned with the government and Board of Control for Cricket in India,” said Suryakumar after scoring 47 not out as India chased down a modest Pakistan target of 128 in 15.5 overs.
The handshake issue had also come up earlier when Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha did not shake hands at the toss.
India, with two wins from two, are nearly through to the next Super Fours stage of the tournament with their final group match against Oman on Friday.
Pakistan play the UAE next on Wednesday and despite the defeat to India, are expected to make the next stage.
Additional input from AFP.
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