"That man was panicking in the back"- Noah Lyles offers take on Oblique Seville's slow start in 100m heats at World Athletics Championships

American track and field athlete Noah Lyles shared his thoughts on Jamaican athlete Oblique Seville’s slow start in the opening heat of the men’s 100m at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Lining up in Heat 1, Oblique Seville, the fifth-fastest in the world this season, had a sluggish start with a reaction time of 0.286s, the slowest among the eight runners. South Africa’s Gift Leotlela (9.87) and Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi (9.88) both set personal bests and finished first and second, while Seville recovered to clock 9.93s, finishing third and advancing to the 100m semifinals.

In a post-race interview, Noah Lyles, who won his heat in 9.95s, commented on Seville’s reaction time. Lyles said he expected Seville to have a bad start because he was panicking before the race, and added that Seville will come back strong in the final.

“Yeah, I knew that was gonna happen. That man was panicking in the back. But hey, he’s a gamer, so hopefully he’ll get it back, and now we’ll have a great final,” Noah Lyles said. (CNBC & Peacock)

Oblique Seville has defeated Lyles twice this season in Diamond League meets in London and Lausanne.

Meanwhile, Lyles, who began his 2025 season late due to injuries, won Heat 3 in 9.95s, followed by Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake in 10.07s and Bahamas’ Terrence Jones in 10.16s. His rival Kishane Thompson, who narrowly lost to Lyles in the Paris 2024 final, also won his heat in 9.95s to qualify for the semifinals.

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Noah Lyles revealed what drives him ahead of World Championships title defense

Noah Lyles at World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Source: Getty

Noah Lyles spoke about what keeps him focused going into the 2025 World Athletics Championships. The 28-year-old is the defending world champion in both the 100m and 200m events.

“I’d say remembering my Why would be the most important coming out of the Olympics, remembering why I’m doing this, why I’m chasing records, why I’m chasing times, why I’m chasing to be great. That is probably the most important thing, because you can win and then get to the top of the mountain and be like, ‘Well, what do I do now?’ So knowing why you decide to climb in the first place, I think, is the most important thing,” Lyles said. (via Olympics)

The men’s 100m semifinals and final will both take place on Sunday, September 14, with the semis at 7:43 a.m. ET and the final at 9:20 a.m. ET.

Edited by Amitha Reji George