Noah Lyles irked by 'gunmen' following loss to Jamaican wunderkind Oblique Seville

Noah Lyles irked by 'gunmen' following loss to Jamaican wunderkind Oblique Seville

Abigael Wafula 10:23 - 02.06.2024

Noah Lyles has expressed satisfaction with his performance but has been irked by the gunmen's unprofessionalism at the Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica.

American sprint king Noah Lyles has been in the form of his life and he expected to extend the winning streak to the Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica but was unfortunately beaten to second in the men’s 100m.

The triple world champion was forced to settle for second, clocking 9.85 to cross the finish line behind World bronze medallist Oblique Seville who set a world leading and personal best time of 9.82. Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala completed the podium, crossing the finish line in 10.02.

Lyles expressed satisfaction towards his performance but blamed the gun men for their unprofessionalism. He explained that at the time gun went off, half of the athletes on the starting line were not set to go.

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“I was satisfied with the performance but disappointed in the gunmen…I mean, none of us, half of us were not even set before the gun went off and that’s very disappointing to see but overall the race was great.

“I came out here and ran exactly what I thought I was going to run, anywhere faster than 9.88, and today wasn’t what the win was,” the Olympic bronze medallist said.

He explained that clocking his second sub-10 of the season is a confidence booster as he looks to make an impact at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a quadruple. He has also fired warning shots at his opponents ahead of the US Olympic trials.

Speaking about the race, Lyles noted that he executed it pretty well but the tough competition showed him the things he needed to change in the race.

“It builds nothing but confidence, you know I’m seeing everyone in the world and you know me and Oblique are leading the world with leaps and bounds.

“At this point, I’ll be walking into USA trials like y’all better put something on your chest before I pull off something. After the gun was fired I had to go since there was no second gun and I gave it my all.

“I went out there and did exactly what I was doing in the back and I felt like executed everything from the 40m mark. However, I have to get back to my old ways and ensure that I don’t try to chase the people and I ensure that I stay with them in the last 10m.

“It’s always good to have competition because that’s the type of energy that it brings and it points out your weaknesses and you go and work on them,” he added.

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