1 week ago
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HAVING PLACED third overall in the men’s short sprints race group standings at the Kingston Grand Slam Track (GST), Jamaican sprinter Oblique Seville said he will need to improve his performances come May in Miami.
Seville finished with 12 points after his performances in the 100 and 200 metres over the first two days of competition at the National Stadium.
He opened his campaign with a close second-place finish in the 100, clocking 10.08 seconds and followed it up with a moderate performance in the 200m, placing fifth in 20.43.
After the 100m on Friday, Seville expressed some disappointment having not won the race but stated that he was pleased with the level of competition this early in his season.
“I wanted to win, but you have to understand that track and field is an unpredictable sport, so it is just the best person on the day that will show up, show their class and actually win, and I think Kenny [Bednarek] did that today,” he said in his post-race interview.
“It’s a stacked field, and I didn’t really lose by much, but you have to understand that an ‘L’ is an ‘L’, and I just have to be better next time.”
It was further disappointment for the speedster in the 200m on Saturday as he believed he could have given a much better performance.
“I’m not really pleased with the performance, but it’s early in the season knowing that it’s just April, but there is more to come,” Seville said.
“I wouldn’t accept the 200m [time] to be honest because I think I can do much better, but I think this is one of my hardest competitions throughout my career apart from the World Championships and the Olympics.”
Seville, however, has taken some positives and is happy to have ended the first Grand Slam injury-free, one of the major issues of his career.
The 24-year-old has been haunted by persistent injuries at the biggest moments of his career, a trend he hopes to shake off this year.
With his eyes set on the World Championships in September, Seville is ready to claim his first major international medal.
“Honestly, I went out there with the mindset to finish healthy, and I actually did that,” he said. “All I need to do is try to be as injury-free as possible, which is one of the hardest things to do in track and field. Honestly, if I’m injury free throughout the season, I will be on the podium.”
He stated that he feels in much better shape compared to his training schedule last year and is confident that he can get the right performances at the right time.
“I am way ahead in terms of strength, but I have to take it step by step. The aim is September. I’m not feeling bad about now because I know that when the time comes for me to run fast, I will deliver.”
Seville will compete in the next Grand Slam at the Ansin Sports Complex from May 2 to 4 before the remaining slams in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.
English (US) ·