9,200 miles. That’s how far Kishane Thompson flew from Mitchell Town, Jamaica, all the way to Guangzhou, China to rep the flag of his country in World Relays. To get a direct ticket for Jamaica into the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. But as fate would have it, even though the men’s 4x100m relay team stood in their positions, the 23-year-old, could not save them. Turns out, the silver medalist in the 100m sprint, never even got to touch the baton. A perfect storm of bad luck and botched exchanges and disqualifications turned this into a straight-up disaster.

On May 10th, Rohan Watson, Julian Forte, Yohan Blake, and Kishane Thompson stood all-set to secure their trip to Tokyo. Watson, for what it was worth, gave them a good start. But disaster struck when the baton changeover between Forte & Blake happened. Correction, because it never happened. In the blink of an eye, the team went from second to eleventh. As for Thompson, he stayed waiting, but the baton never reached him. Although the chances seemed bleak, Jamaica had one more chance. The next day was the repechage round, a final hope. But as it does, history repeated itself again.

Watson again had a good start. But Julian, standing at the second leg, seemingly had a hamstring issue. You could see him trying to fight through it, struggling to finish his leg, desperate to get that baton to Blake. But he fell. And with that fell the hearts and hopes of thousands of Jamaicans waiting to celebrate their qualification for the World Athletics Championships. What was worse was Blake was taken out on a wheelchair, showing just how bad the pain was. And again, Kishane, despite having all the hype of a runner, couldn’t do anything as he saw his country lose their chance. This was so bad that his high school rival, who now runs alongside Kishane for Jamaica, too, expressed his sadness at the news.

When Citius Mag dropped a YouTube video where Oblique Seville was asked about Kishane not getting to run, not on Day 1, not on Day 2, he kept it straight. “You know I didn’t speak. It’s unfortunate for him because he didn’t get the opportunity to run.” Simple. Honest. Respectful. And let’s be real, Oblique said what everyone’s thinking. What happened to Kishane was just plain unfortunate.

Two days. Two disasters. And Kishane, left waiting. Watching. Powerless. Now, the Jamaican team only has one more way to qualify for Tokyo: The NACAC Championships. But there was the silver lining: in the middle of all that heartbreak, Kishane Thompson’s old high school rival, Oblique Seville, stepped up with support. From rivals to brothers, their bond’s still solid. But how?

Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville turning rivalry into brotherhood

You know what’s really cool about the Olympics? It’s not just the race itself but the stories behind the runners, like the bond between Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson. These two have been pushing each other since high school, and that connection is straight-up motivation fuel. Seville said it best last year: “I know Kishane from high school because we used to compete together. He’s actually one of the best athletes I’ve seen from Jamaica.”

Imagine growing up racing against someone and now chasing Olympic gold side by side. That kind of history makes everything more intense and personal. Seville was feeling so sure last year that he and Thompson would both be heading for the podium in Paris. He said, “It motivates me knowing he’s a Jamaican and we’re chasing this together. If I compete like I did at the trials, I think I will be on the podium, and so will he.”

And honestly, they looked unstoppable heading into the Games, both leading the qualifiers for the men’s 100m semi-finals, with Thompson hitting 9.80 seconds and Seville smashing a personal best of 9.81 seconds. But the Olympics had a twist: Kishane Thompson snagged silver, while Oblique Seville, despite making the final, finished eighth with 9.91 seconds. The twist?

Seville had a flare-up of an old groin injury right at the worst moment. “It just came at the wrong time,” he said, clearly frustrated because he knew he could have done way better if his body had cooperated. Here’s the kicker: Seville’s 9.81 personal best was set during the Paris Olympics on August 4, 2024, and Kishane Thompson’s even faster 9.77 came earlier that summer at the Jamaican Nationals on June 28.

So yeah, the talent was there, no doubt. But this year? It looks like luck isn’t really playing nice with Kishane Thompson, making things a little rougher for him. Makes you wonder, what’s next for these two chasing glory?