Glen Mills, who coached Usain Bolt, now coaches Oblique Seville

Seville, who won the 100m title at the Tokyo World Championships, is trained by Glen Mills, the same coach who turned Usain Bolt into a dominating speedstar during his sprinting days.

Oblique Seville has hailed Jamaican coach Glen Mills as the architect behind his rise to becoming the world’s fastest man, describing him as “like a father” after storming to 100m gold at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Seville, 24, clocked a blistering 9.77 seconds to clinch Jamaica’s first men’s world title since Usain Bolt retired in 2017, beating teammate Kishane Thompson (9.82) and American Noah Lyles (9.89). 

His triumph came in the same Japanese capital where he made his global debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, making the victory even more symbolic.

“It still hasn’t fully settled in yet that I’m world champion,” Seville admitted to JamaicaStarOnline a day after his victory. 

“But in a couple of days the reality will hit me. I started my debut here in Japan, and now to win my first gold medal in the same stadium — that’s a moment I’ll always remember. It feels like the start of a new legacy.”

Reflecting on his journey since 2020, Seville said injuries were the biggest obstacle holding him back.

 “Injury played a big part in my career and that was the only thing stopping me. This year proved that a healthy Seville is a dangerous Seville — a world champion. As long as I stay injury-free, I’ll always be on that podium.”

Seville also drew parallels between his humble beginnings and those of Bolt, who also came from rural Jamaica. 

“My community is very small but big in heart. The people are proud because they knew I had the talent, and I finally proved myself after falling short in previous years. When I was small, I looked at Usain knowing his background was similar to mine. I’ve followed in his footsteps.”

Much of Seville’s success, he insists, comes down to Mills — the man who also coached Bolt and Yohan Blake  to global glory

. “Coach Mills is like a father to us. He’s a brilliant man and taught me so much about the sport. He told me four years ago that I’d do it. At the Olympics, I wasn’t 100% fit, but he knew I had the talent to medal. This year we made a different approach, and that approach brought us gold.”

Seville also underlined the resurgence of Jamaican men’s sprinting, which had been searching for a new figurehead since Bolt’s retirement.

 “Getting one-two in the 100m shows Jamaica will always be the sprint factory. We have a great relationship — Kishane, myself, Akeem Blake — all under the same coaching setup. We’re showing the world that Jamaica is back.”

The focus now shifts to the men’s 4x100m relay, which Jamaica last won in 2015. “I think we have the chance to win gold. It’s been a drought, but this year is the year to show back our dominance,” Seville said.