Justin Gatlin Gets 100% Real About Noah Lyles vs Oblique Seville Rivalry Before World Championships

Oblique Seville’s victory over Noah Lyles in Lausanne did not merely add another notch to his season; it pushed a conversation that track and field had been quietly circling. The Jamaican sprinter handled wet conditions with precision, sprinting 9.87 seconds into a headwind and leaving the Olympic champion chasing. For Lyles, it was his third defeat in three international outings this summer, and for Seville, it was the second statement win over him this season. So, the stage, with the World Championships approaching, could hardly have been more charged.

It was this race that drew a pointed observation from Justin Gatlin. Speaking on the Tidal League Podcast, the former Olympic champion emphasized how rare it is to see such control in adverse weather. “My personal opinion, yes,” Gatlin replied when asked if Seville had put Lyles on notice. Wait till you see the reason…

“Why I say that is because it’s very difficult to run in rain like that and have laser focus on how you’re going to be able to approach your 100 meters and how you’re going to finish that. It can be very distracting. That showed me right there that Oblique is at a different level of focus right now.” His words underlined that Lausanne was not simply about the stopwatch. It was about Seville showing he can thrive when most falter.

From Gatlin’s perspective, Seville has separated himself from every other challenger to Lyles in one key way. “The only person that has really, truly created separation that Noah can’t close down on is Oblique Seville being real,” Gatlin exclaimed. For a man who spent nearly two decades analyzing rivals on the line, the assessment carried weight. Gatlin even noted that Seville’s technical advantage comes from how he builds and sustains velocity.

“He has the secret weapon. He has the sauce. It’s just about Oblique needs to open up and be true and say, ‘Okay, I don’t care if I’m in the finals of Olympics or finals of the World Championship.’ Treat it like any other race. Go out there, run your race, create that separation that we know you can, and just keep stomping down to the track. Create that velocity and keep rolling to that finish line.”

That confidence, Gatlin explained, is as critical as raw speed. “And the way he comes off in that interview, he came off very, very confident that he knows what he’s going to do. He did it today, and I’m gonna show you that I have more left of the tank. I like that,” Gatlin observed. But he also reminded listeners that championships are defined by athletes who rise on the biggest stage.

“But we all know that who shows up for the big dance. Noah always shows up for the big dance.” The reminder was clear: Talent and dominance in July or August do not automatically guarantee gold in Tokyo.

Rodney Green, co-host of the podcast, provided the other side of the conversation.

He reminded listeners that Seville has a history of faltering in finals despite strong heats and semifinals. Citing the 2022, 2023, and 2024 championships, Green said, “Like Oblique and the last few world championships and Olympics, he would win his heats and his semis and then he would get fourth in the final.” Green added that he had picked Seville in 2024, only to be disappointed once more. His view captured the hesitation many still hold.

Seville has the speed, but until he makes the podium, his dominance remains an unfulfilled promise. Emphasizing the same, Gatlin too, added, “A true elite athlete has to realize that they have to be confident enough..They could be standing at the start line, the 100-meter finals, know they about to make history and about to be a part of history and say, ‘You know what, this is no different from any other race I’ve ever ran in my life. I got to go out here and put my race together.’ And I think that’s a mindset that Oblique didn’t have in the past.” Still, rooting for Oblique, Gatlin remarked, “And I want to see that from Oblique this season going forward.”

What is beyond doubt is that Lausanne changed the tone of the season. Seville’s ability to beat Lyles twice has given him more than momentum. It has earned him the respect of athletes who know exactly how hard it is to take down the reigning world champion. As Gatlin concluded, the path for Seville is straightforward, if not simple: Maintain the same composure on the grandest stage that he has displayed on the circuit, and the separation he has created in Diamond League races could finally carry him to the global podium.

Justin Gatlin crowns Oblique Seville as sprinting’s next great force

Justin Gatlin did not mince his words when reflecting on Oblique Seville’s previous triumphs. Speaking on his Ready Set Go podcast, right after the 2025 London Diamond League, Gatlin described Seville as “one of the most talented, if not the most talented, 100 metre sprinter… ever.” For an athlete of Gatlin’s standing, with five world titles and decades of perspective, such an endorsement carried weight far beyond casual admiration. His remarks placed Seville in rare company, the sort reserved for those capable of shifting the direction of the event itself.

Gatlin’s admiration was not abstract. He noted the disparity between Seville’s stature and the performances he continues to deliver, calling it “very impressive” that the Jamaican could consistently post world-class times against larger, more physically imposing rivals. The comment reflected a studied appreciation of mechanics and resilience rather than mere enthusiasm. For Gatlin, the significance lay in the marriage of efficiency and consistency, a sprinter who could rely not only on raw acceleration but on discipline in executing each phase of the race.

Beyond physical qualities, Gatlin highlighted what he considered the decisive factor in Seville’s pursuit of global supremacy: Management of rounds.

Drawing from his own experience, he advised that an athlete must avoid exhausting himself in pursuit of a fast semifinal, insisting instead that “you don’t gotta do all that. Just… secure yourself a lane and rest your body so you have enough energy for that finals.” His counsel was plain but revealing, a recognition that championship racing demands calculation as much as power. In his view, if Seville could learn to preserve energy through the preliminary stages and still maintain his composure, “I don’t see why he would not be on that top of that podium.”