RESIDENTS in Ness Castle, St Thomas, were left disappointed after their hometown star, Oblique Seville, finished eighth in the 100-metre final at the Paris Olympics, but they were still optimistic that the 23 year old will dominate in future events.

Several relatives and family friends gathered at Ness Castle Sanctified Church, after the service, to watch and support Seville in the finals, using their phones to stay up to date with the highly anticipated final. However, their optimism quickly changed to sudden disappointment as they watched Seville cross the line in eighth place.

“If we didn’t feel disappointed that means we did not want him to win, but at the same time we are still proud of him because we know where he is coming from,” said family friend Joan Drummond.

She noted that Seville had already made the residents of Ness Castle proud — despite the last-place finish — and believes that his time is yet to come.

“We are still happy for him because at least he is there and he made it to the next stage, so next time he will be there and we will be supporting him same way,” Drummond told the
Jamaica Observer.

In the meantime, Seville’s cousin Carlyle Whitton, who was also at the church during the time of the race, told the Jamaica Observer that he was shocked to see Seville’s last-place finish — especially after what he described as an exceptional run in the semi-finals to beat world champion Noah Lyles.

“I was actually watching the semi-finals on my phone in church, and when I saw how well he ran and how he beat the American [Noah Lyles], I thought surely he was going to win or at least get a medal,” he said.

However, he said that based on his observation of the final he believed that Seville looked injured and slowed down during the race, which led to his eighth-place finish.

“When watching the replay I saw the pain on his face when he was running so it looks like he was running in pain — so from he crossed the line I knew that injury might have been the cause for him not to run a better race in the final,” he said.

Despite his disappointment, Whitton expressed confidence that Seville will get a medal in the next major track event.

“He is still young and he has more to offer so his time will come. And we want him to know that we are still proud of him same way because he has already achieved so much,” he said.

Reflecting on Seville’s upbringing, Whitton said he was destined to be who he is as the now-23-year-old was always running.

“Oblique grew up going to this church and he was very nimble, he was always moving in church. And when he was coming to church he would run from home to church every Sunday, so he was always moving and very hyperactive,” he said.

Whitton said Seville’s journey started when he joined the track team at Cedar Valley Primary School, where he showcased his speed from an early age. He added that Seville’s journey so far is a massive boost for Ness Castle, pointing out that his exploits would lead to more opportunities for other young talents in the community.

“We have other talent like footballers and stuff but Oblique is that person who can put the community in the spotlight so people can know that this is where he is from and it can attract future assistance for us here in Ness Castle — stuff like better roads and more eyes on the talent we have,” he said.