“Is there a world where Noah doesn’t medal?” Rodney Green hilariously asked his co-host of the Ready Set Go podcast Justin Gatlin, as they sat down to list their predictions for the men’s 100m finals for the Paris Olympics.
Top contenders for this include Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, Fred Kerly, Kenny Bednarek, and Oblique Seville. Gatlin said:
“I think that if Kishane is in front of Noah, at the 45 to 50-meter mark, it’s Kishane to win. I don’t see Noah running Kishane down….. And I’m only saying that because Kishane hasn’t shown us the rest of what he can do“
He continued to list his top podium contenders for the finals, saying:
“I can see Kishane on top of that podium, 100%…right now, I have Kishane, I have Noah, and then I have Oblique.”
To this, Green commented on how Oblique Seville is in the “best situation of his life” as the pressure is no longer on him but on Kishane. Seville previously beat Lyles at the 2024 Racers GP, with a record time of 9.82 seconds.
However, his ace card comes from being mentored by the same icon who coached Usain Bolt – Glen Mills. Carrying a promising future for himself, the Jamaican is already one of the top picks for winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Green continued:
“I’ve watched him blast Noah, I’ve watched him blast Kishane. So all he’s probably been working on is that last, 40-50m, because his top end’s not where theirs is right now.“
Green theorized that since Seville has little pressure on him, given the Lyles-Thompson rivalry has taken over the world, the Jamaican stands a strong chance. Together, the elites hoped for an interesting podium finish this season.
Apart from rooting for Seville and his performance this season, Gatlin and Green had other contenders in their minds as well. Their second prediction for a podium was the 100m American track athlete Fred Kerley.
While Green called him more of a dark horse amongst his other picks, he firmly believed that the 29-year-old had some spunk to him. Gatlin agreed, stating that apart from his Olympic silver medal, he also had a fire going on for him this year.
With a sponsorship that fell out and a will to prove himself on track, the elite felt that Kerley could muster enough energy and fuel to smoke out his contenders.
