I disagree - Oblique Seville refutes Usain Bolt's 'no talent' perception on present generation of sprinters

World's fastest man Oblique Seville has downplayed Usain Bolt's viral statement on the current crop of sprinters as he believes 'it's only a matter of time' before they reach the heights set by their predecessors.

At the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, the 24-year-old became the first Jamaican man since Bolt to claim the 100m world title. He achieved this feat by clocking a new personal best of 9.77s, ahead of his fellow countryman Kishane Thompson in second, while defending champion Noah Lyles settled for the bronze medal.

His feat propelled him to the pinnacle as the world's fastest man - a bragging right that had long eluded Jamaica for 10 years since Bolt's victorious outing at the Beijing 2015 World Championships.

Since Bolt's retirement in 2017, the 100m world title has been passed between Justin Gatlin, Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, and Noah Lyles.

Consequently, no sprinter in this generation has been able to break the 9.7s barrier, compared to the legend's era when he led at least three sprinters in this mark (Yohan Blake and Tyson Gay - 9.69s).

This led Bolt to recently state that today's sprinters lack the talent to run the 100m in the 9.6-second range. However, Seville respectfully disagreed with his hero on one key point.

"In my opinion, it's just only a matter of time before someone is going to run 9.6," he asserted in an interview with The Guardian after his Tokyo heroics.

"I don't think we are far off in this generation. It just takes us time. Because you have to understand, it was the same back then," he continued.

"No one was running 9.6 until Usain Bolt put his foot in Beijing. So it's for us now, as a new generation, for us to just meet that step – to prove that we can actually do the same thing that Usain did."

Despite his own blistering speed, he showed his mind is just as sharp when asked to design the perfect sprinter.

Instead of a complex breakdown of different athletes' strengths, Seville offered a single, instant reply: "Usain."

When it was suggested that there had never been anyone like the Jamaican icon, Seville agreed but offered a tantalizing combination. "No," he said. "But I would take his last part of his race and my start. Then you would have the perfect sprinter."

The two Jamaican champions present a study in contrasts. The towering 6ft 5in Bolt is a stark physical opposite to the 5ft 6in Seville. Yet, they share a crucial link: coach Glen Mills, who saw the potential in him to follow in Bolt's footsteps and become the fastest man on the planet.

"I realised that I was a fast kid when I was six," Seville recalled. "I was running against kids that were bigger than me, and I was very competitive. So I showed it at a very early age."

"When I just started out with my coach, he said it's going to take me a few years to get to the podium. And whatever he says, that is what's going to happen. His words manifested upon me and here I am right now, a gold medallist," he explained. "He can be tough at times... he's a very intelligent guy. And I learn a lot from him in and out of sport."

With his confidence soaring after winning the world title, Seville will aim to prove that his victory in Tokyo was not just a one-time feat, but will work to maintain his position and consistency over the next decade, just like his idol Bolt, before his retirement.