KINGSTON, Jamaica— Anticipation is building for what is expected to be an epic men’s 100m final at the Olympic Games after the Jamaican pair of Kishane Thompson- 9.80 seconds (0.5m/s) and Oblique Seville who ran a personal best 9.81 seconds (0.7m/s) lead the qualifiers in the semi-finals at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Both men won their respective heat, in relative ease, and will be hoping to return Jamaica to the heights of winning two medals in the event that was last achieved in London 12 years ago.

Thompson, the world leader with 9.77 seconds, got the line first ahead of former World Championships gold medallist Fred Kerley of the USA who ran a season’s best 9.84 seconds.

Seville, who just missed a medal in the last two World Championships, lowered his lifetime best by one hundredth of a second, holding off World Champion Noah Lyles of the USA who ran 9.84 seconds.

The third Jamaican Ackeem Blake missed advancing after he was fifth in his heat in 10.06 seconds (0.0m/s) as South Africa’s Akani Simbine won in  9.87 seconds, ahead of Botswana’s World Championships silver medallist Letsile Tebogo- 9.91 seconds.

Defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy who equalled his season’s best 9.92 seconds and American Kenny Bednarek- 9.93 seconds also filled out the field.

-Paul A Reid