Walking the razor’s edge between success and failure, athletes give their all, yet while some celebrate their struggles, others turn a blind eye and heap criticism. This has been the story for many top athletes worldwide, especially in Jamaica. Even Usain Bolt admitted, “Some people were even shouting, cussing.” Years may pass and medals may change hands, but criticism remains constant. Recently, 100m world champion Oblique Seville shared a similar experience, revealing the harsh scrutiny he faced from his own home crowd.

During a conversation with Bodega Track, Oblique Seville was asked about his relationship with fans and the press after finishing fourth in the World Athletics Championships qualifiers. The 100m world champion candidly noted that Jamaican fans can be incredibly demanding, a sentiment famously echoed by Usain Bolt years ago. “Trust me, I never really had any experience with the fans,” said Seville. Upon hearing this, the host asked if no one had ever cheered him on by saying, “Oblique on to you, boy.”

Interestingly, Seville described the interaction as more casual than a typical fan moment. “They just say it in a way that doesn’t make it sound like they’re cursing me or anything like that. But that, yeah, I know. I never take it as anything serious because I always said this: if you put yourself out there as a target at all times, you’re supposed to be performing, and everyone is going to have high expectations based on your performance. They expect you to win, and you just have to take that as motivation to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to do my best.’ But for me, as I said previously, it’s just that angels were stopping me.”

Oblique Seville isn’t the only athlete to face harsh criticism from fans. Yohan Blake, speaking with The Inside Lane YouTube channel, revealed that during his struggle to regain form after a severe hamstring injury, it was his own country that called him out rather than supported him, “My own country Jamaica doesn’t give me the respect, and I am happy they don’t because other people outside do, and they appreciate me more than my own country.” 

Even Usain Bolt, in Faster than Lightning: My Autobiography, revealed that long before his legendary success, his fellow Jamaicans could be brutally harsh, “I was suddenly living that horror for real, but on a much bigger scale. Honestly, I had never imagined a time when a Jamaican crowd, my own people, the same people that had cheered me on so loudly when I’d won the World Junior Championships in 2002—would boo me as I came off the Kingston track.”

This experience certainly helped him achieve all of his success, but isn’t it unfair that the moment you succeed, people see you as a hero, and then, after a few failed races, suddenly you’re labeled a villain? Well, it certainly is, but according to Kishane Thompson, this is quite normal as the sport is like a “Holy Grail” for the Jamaicans.

“Track & field as their holy grail,” – Kishane Thompson agrees with Oblique Seville

Whether it’s Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, or Asafa Powell, all have weathered fierce criticism from fans. Jamaican track and field supporters are famed for their passion—and their sky-high expectations demand athletes build unshakable mental resilience to thrive on the world stage. Fresh off a silver at last year’s Tokyo World Championships, Thompson echoed the sentiments of Bolt and Powell, acknowledging the intensity of performing under such pressure.

“Jamaica views track and field as their holy grail,” Thompson shared during Sprint Season 2. “Sprint nation. They do not want to see not getting the  gold.” Asafa Powell in the very same conversation urged the Jamaican standout in to chase his personal milestones instead of being burdened by the expectations of an entire nation. On his YouTube channel, Powell emphasized, “Jamaica is not a country to carry on your back; these people are very, very hard on the athletes… They love you to death, but they are hard on the athlete.”

Powell emphasized the importance of viewing major championships as “just another race,” allowing athletes to remain composed and confident. He added, “If you are just doing it for yourself when you cross the finish line, then you know it’s for everybody.” For Jamaican’s it doesn’t matter whether you are a star athlete, if you fall down from your glory, they will not stop to chomp you down.