“What happened at the Olympics is uncontrollable… I was hoping the injury would never happen in the final, but it actually did, unfortunately.” That was 24-year-old track and field star Oblique Seville, crushed but honest, after a groin injury stole his Olympic dream in the final 20 meters of the 100m at Paris 2024. Heartbreaking, right? But he wasn’t done. Simbine came into 2025 with a fire in his chest, saying before the adidas Atlantic City Games, “My preparation is way different because you have to understand—my season is September.”

He was locked in. Focused. Believing this was his year to dominate in track and field. The World Athletics Championships were calling, and he was ready to answer. But just when it looked like the comeback was on… boom. The same old nightmare showed up again, uninvited. Well, going into the Adidas Atlanta City Games on the 18th of May, Oblique Seville seemed locked in and ready to make a mark. B

ut in heat 2 of the 100m, things took a tough turn. Seville finished third in 10.53s behind Jaylen Slade (10.50) and Israel Olatunde (10.52), but it was clear something was off. Mid-race, he appeared to ease up, visibly wincing and favoring his leg. Something wasn’t right. An injury scare? It sure looked like it. Come finals, despite his determination, the injury slowed him down.

 Seville crossed last in 10.53 seconds, matching his heat time but far from his best form. Akani Simbine of South Africa stormed to victory with a strong 10.13, showing just how fierce the competition was. Nigeria’s Udodi Onwuzurike secured second place in 10.20, earning a qualifying spot, followed by Jamaica’s Deandre Daley in 10.29.

Kadrian Goldson, also from Jamaica, claimed the next qualifying spot with 10.37, while Cravont Charleston (USA) clocked 10.46. Jaylen Slade (USA) and Israel Olatunde (Ireland) finished with 10.50 and 10.52, respectively, rounding out the field ahead of Seville. For Oblique, running through pain made this more about willpower than speed, and honestly, seeing him struggle like that had the whole track and field community worried and pretty frustrated, too.

Fans speak out on a 24-year-old track and field star’s comeback fight

One track and field fan commented, “Looks like he’s carrying an injury the way he’s running,” while another added, “This has to suck for him; how many times do you have to come back and be disturbed by injuries?” And honestly, it was hard not to notice. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Seville made waves by beating American star Noah Lyles in the men’s 100m semifinal, clocking a personal best of 9.81 seconds.

That’s just edging out Lyles, who ran 9.83. The excitement was real; it felt like Seville was on track for a medal. But then came the final, and everything changed. Just inside the last 20 meters of the race, Seville’s recurring groin injury, the same one he’d treated earlier in Germany, flared up again. That painful setback slowed him down, and he ended up finishing eighth with a time of 9.91 seconds. It was a heartbreaking blow that snatched away his chance at Olympic glory.

Meanwhile, Noah Lyles went on to take the gold with a time of 9.79 seconds, narrowly beating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who also ran 9.79 but lost out because of a slower reaction time at the start. Someone, a track and field fan, chimed in, “That was scary af… we’re still recovering from Paris and now this,” and another simply said, “This is insane.”

And honestly, no cap, it’s rough. The World Championships in Tokyo are only four months away, and Seville was hyped to make some noise there. He just made his season debut a few days ago and was looking fire. Till now, he had raced in four official meets and crushed every single one. He kicked things off in April at the new Grand Slam Track Series in Kingston, his first real race back after that gnarly groin injury from the Paris Olympics.

He snagged 2nd place in the 100m with a smooth 10.08 and came 5th in the 200m at 47.04. Then, at GST Miami, he leveled up,  2nd in the 100m with a crazy 9.84 and hit a personal best of 20.13 in the 200m for 3rd. But now, boom — injury again. That’s got to mess with his training, slow him down, and honestly, we’re all holding our breath, wondering if he’ll even make it to Tokyo.

Fingers crossed, he bounces back soon! One more track and field fan warned, “He better not go to worlds,” while another pointed out, “Oblique should have avoided the race; it looked like he didn’t want to be there. Could have been an existing injury that flared up during the race.” And finally, one fan noticed, “He seemed to grimace at whatever went down there.”

This whole situation has fans worried because it’s not just about one race or one injury; it’s about whether he can bounce back fully in time for the big events ahead. Fans want to see Seville smash those races, but right now, it feels like his body is screaming for a break. Can he bounce back in time, or is this a sign he needs to hit pause and come back stronger later?