KINGSTON, Jamaica — One of the sport’s most exciting young sprinters is one step away from retaining his national crown, after a blistering semi-final performance at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Championships held at Kingston’s National Stadium on Thursday evening.
World 100m champion Oblique Seville delivered the fastest time of the entire semi-final round, clocking a smooth 9.95 seconds with a legal 0.2 meters per second tailwind to take victory in his heat, cementing his status as the overwhelming favorite heading into Friday’s men’s 100m final.
Seville faced an early test from 19-year-old rising star Gary Card, who stayed neck-and-neck with the champion through the first 60 meters of the race. But Seville’s signature closing power allowed him to pull away from the University of Technology competitor in the final stretch, with Card crossing the line in 10.07 seconds to also secure his spot in the 8-man final, which is scheduled to get underway at 9:15 pm local time.
In the second semi-final heat, World Indoor 60m bronze medalist Ackeem Blake claimed the win with a 10.05 second performance, run into a slight headwind of -0.8 m/s. Nishion Ebanks finished second in the heat, clocking an impressive new personal best of 10.18 seconds to punch his ticket to the final.
Four other sprinters joined Seville, Card, Blake and Ebanks in advancing to the title round. Former national champion Rohan Watson secured his final spot with a 10.12 second run in Seville’s heat, while Javari Thomas (10.27s, -0.8m/s) and rising sprinter Bouwahjgie Nkrumie (10.14s) also rounded out the final field after solid semi-final showings.
The national championship 100m final is one of the most anticipated annual events on Jamaica’s sporting calendar, often serving as a key selection event for global championship teams, with all eyes on Seville to see if he can add another national title to his growing world championship resume.