'9.76 Is Just a Shadow' – Glen Mills Predicts Oblique Seville's Best Is Yet to Come After Tokyo Glory

Usain Bolt’s former coach, Glen Mills, has explained why he now expects a lot from Oblique Seville after his impressive run at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Oblique Seville, after years of finishing fourth, outside the podium bracket, finally claimed top honours in the men’s 100m final at the global showpiece.

The Jamaican sprinter finished fourth at the World Athletics Championships in 2022 in Eugene and 2023 in Budapest before finally clocking a personal best time of 9.76 seconds to win the 100m final in Tokyo.

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Olympic 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson and defending champion Noah Lyles came in second and third in the race.

Glen Mills now believes that after Oblique Seville has addressed his major challenges, he has the potential to constantly challenge Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson and other top sprinters.

The accomplished coach explained that Oblique Seville has a lot more to give, given that he is still young and learning the ropes of sprinting.

“Once we get into a perfect situation where he is 100% healthy, 9.76 is just a shadow, a tip in the bucket. He can run much faster than that if he's 100%,” Glen Mills said in an interview with Television Jamaica.

“So, I'm really happy for him, and this will go a long way in continuing to build his development because he's still young and I expect a lot more from him.”

Glen Mills explained that the decision for Oblique Seville not to compete in recent Diamond League events was not intentional but rather due to ongoing health challenges that have made training and preparation difficult over the past three years.

Usain Bolt's former coach added that Oblique Seville’s limited participation was in his best interest, given the recurring issues they have been managing.

Reflecting on the previous season, Glen Mills said they had been confident about winning gold after the semi-final, but a groin injury posed a major setback. Although the outcome was disappointing, they understood the cause and were prepared to return to the drawing board.

“He has not been racing in the Diamond League and so on, and it’s not something that we don't want to do. As I expressed before, coaching him and getting him ready and healthy for him to compete has been a tremendous challenge over the last 3 years,” Glen Mills added.

“Last year, after he ran the semi-final, we were confident of his chances to win the gold. But we knew that there was a challenge to it, and that groin injury would hold out for a final race.

“Yes, we were bitterly disappointed, but we knew what the problem was, and although it was a bit of disappointment, we were ready to come back to the drawing board. We did some work on the problem, and I think that he has overcome that problem.”

With his injury troubles now behind him and confidence at an all-time high, Glen Mills believes Oblique Seville is entering the best phase of his career, one where consistency, health, and experience could see him rise among the world’s greatest sprinters.