Usain Bolt has thrown his support behind Jamaica’s rising stars Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville, backing them to end Noah Lyles’ reign in the 100m at the World Championships in Tokyo.
The retired sprint icon, who collected 11 world titles and eight Olympic golds before stepping away in 2017, believes Jamaica can look forward to its first global sprint crown since his own triumph in 2015.
“Kishane and Oblique have really shown this season that they’re really doing extremely well,” Bolt said. “They should be 1-2 at least because they have proven throughout the season that they are at the top and they’re running fast times. So it’s just all about execution.”
Thompson, silver medallist at the Paris Olympics behind Lyles, has clocked a world-leading 9.75 this season.
Seville, meanwhile, finished fourth at the last worlds and has twice beaten the American champion this year.
Bolt is eager to witness their progress in person: “I’m happy to go to the stadium and see. Hopefully, I’ll be able to present the gold medal to one of them!”
The 39-year-old, famed for his composure on the biggest stages, urged the Jamaican duo to remain grounded.
“Just not listen to the noise. It’s just about one of them executing and it should be fine. I’m very confident that they can get it done.”
Asked about Lyles’ vocal confidence, Bolt brushed off the comparisons with his old rival Justin Gatlin.
“I don’t think Noah is as crazy as Justin,” he said with a smile. “For me, it’s no difference. It’s like Gatlin over the years: we’ve pushed back and forth.
He was a different breed because he came up in an era where trash-talking was just normal.” Bolt added, “As you know, I never listen to anyone. I know when I’m prepared and I’m ready, you can say whatever you want, you’re not going to beat me.”
As for his legendary 9.58 world record, set in Berlin in 2009, Bolt is not expecting it to fall soon.
“No, I’m not worried. There will be athletes coming up, and they will do well, but at this present moment I don’t see anything that they can do to break a world record. Everything evolves in life… it’s not going to be a surprise if it actually happens. We just have to wait and see what happens.”
Still, he admitted to one personal wish. “I’ve always hoped that maybe one of my kids, my boys, will do track and field,” he laughed. “I don’t know. They’re not showing any talent yet. Hopefully, they’ll get better, we’ll see!”
