The 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo witnessed a thrilling men’s 100m final on Sunday, September 14, where Jamaican sprinter Oblique Seville, at 24 years old, delivered a career-defining performance to clinch the gold medal. With sprint legend Usain Bolt observing from the stands, Seville surged across the finish line in a personal best of 9.77 seconds, marking him as the first Jamaican to secure the world title in this prestigious event since Bolt’s victory in 2015. This highly anticipated final was initially framed as a rematch between Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson, the gold and silver medalists from the Paris 2024 Olympics, who were drawn in adjacent central lanes and appeared set for a fierce rivalry.

However, it was Seville who stole the spotlight on a humid Tokyo night, stunning both the favored athletes and the enthusiastic 60,000-strong crowd with an explosive late burst of speed. This decisive move not only secured his first major international championship gold but also earned him the coveted title of “world’s fastest man.” Kishane Thompson ultimately took the silver medal with a time of 9.82 seconds, while Noah Lyles finished third, earning the bronze in 9.89 seconds. The final race was not without its moments of high drama; just before the starting gun, Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion, Letsile Tebogo, was sensationally disqualified for a false start, eliciting gasps of disbelief from fans inside the Tokyo Olympic Stadium. Despite this interruption, the race, once underway, lived up to every expectation. Thompson initially appeared poised for victory, but Seville’s impeccably timed finishing surge propelled him past his competitors and etched his name into Jamaican sprinting history.

Reflecting on his breakthrough triumph, Seville expressed his elation, stating, "I feel really amazing and excited that the gold is coming home to Jamaica. I have proved that I am a true competitor, that I have the determination of a champion." He also revealed his struggles leading up to the final: "But still, I was panicking; I didn't know what was going on throughout the semi-final. Finishing strong in the last 30 to 40 metres was something I was struggling with the whole season; I just didn't recognise it. Now I have perfected it, and I am confident that if I can do it in the final, I will win. I knew if I had a strong finish, the others would not catch me." Seville’s stunning victory signifies a restoration of Jamaica’s dominance on the global sprinting stage, ending a decade-long wait since Usain Bolt’s reign. With his youth, remarkable speed, and burgeoning confidence, the 24-year-old has emphatically announced his presence to the world, suggesting that the future of sprinting could very well belong to Oblique Seville.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s fastest man, Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, faced a different outcome at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, narrowly missing a spot in the men’s 100m final. This extended Ghana’s two-decade wait for representation in the event’s ultimate race. Saminu, who had shown promise in the heats with a composed second-place finish in Heat 7, advanced to the semi-finals brimming with confidence and a declared ambition to contend for a medal. However, despite a spirited effort, the semi-final proved to be a step too far for the 21-year-old. He clocked 10.08 seconds in semi-final Heat 3, placing fourth in a race won by none other than Oblique Seville, who finished that heat in 9.86 seconds. Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo secured second place in 9.94 seconds, achieving a season’s best, while South Africa’s Gift Leotlela came third in 9.97 seconds.

Only the first two finishers in each semi-final heat and the two next fastest times overall were eligible to advance to the final. This competitive structure meant that Saminu, with his 10.08s, missed out, along with other notable athletes such as Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.03s), Canada’s Jerome Blake (10.03s), and Wales’ Jeremiah Azu (10.05s). Notably, South Africa saw two of its athletes progress to the final, with Akani Simbine recording 9.96s in Heat 1 and his countryman Leotlela's 9.97s from Saminu’s heat securing the non-automatic qualifying spots. Behind Saminu in Heat 3 were Canada’s Andre De Grasse (10.09s), Britain’s Romell Glave (10.09s), Nigeria’s Israel Okon (10.14s), and the USA’s Courtney Lindsey (10.18s). Saminu’s exit marked Ghana’s continued absence from the men’s 100m final at the World Championships, a streak that now spans 20 years, with Aziz Zakari being the last Ghanaian to reach that stage in 2005.

Despite the disappointment, Saminu’s debut performance at the World Athletics Championships, where he reached the semi-final stage, underscores Ghana’s ongoing presence in global sprinting. The 21-year-old had previously attributed his readiness for the championships to a balanced NCAA season and the confidence gained from beating top competitors like South Africa’s Akani Simbine in the continental tour. His progress and appearance on such a global stage suggest brighter prospects ahead as Ghana continues its search for a World Champion and another finalist in the men’s 100m, a significant milestone that has eluded the nation since Zakari’s historic achievement two decades prior.