The 2024 Racers Grand Prix Jamaica, which gave fans another preview of the Noah Lyles-Oblique Seville rivalry (with the Jamaican snatching the win on home soil), has become a staple of the track and field calendar. However, fans looking forward to the 2026 edition are now facing major disappointment.

As reported by Trackalerts.com, the organizers of the event confirmed that there won’t be a Racers Grand Prix this year, as the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet has been cancelled. The reason?

Funding challenges emerged, and it became the primary reason that the organizers had to pull the plug. These financial issues still came up even though the Racers Grand Prix is directly backed by the government of Jamaica through the Ministry of Sports and even sponsored by shoe giant Adidas, which still has its contract for two more years. The news comes as a huge loss for track and field fans not only in Jamaica but also in the entire world.

After competing at the Racers Grand Prix in 2024, Lyles opened up, saying, “It is a tremendous feeling, as last year I didn’t compete due to injuries. This year, I’m happy to get a personal best and win in front of my Jamaican fans.”

Well, even if the American did lose the race back then, he was glad to compete in a nation where sprint events are always the talk of the town. The 2025 edition of the event was also quite interesting, even though Lyles didn’t attend it, as it wasn’t on his schedule.

The 2025 Racers Grand Prix was a success, even without Noah Lyles

Despite not having Noah Lyles in the mix, the 2025 Racers Grand Prix was hardly a cakewalk for Oblique Seville. Sure, he had won the event before in 2024, but the atmosphere was different this time. The reason?

Kishane Thompson, the Olympic silver medalist who was pipped by Lyles in Paris by just 0.005 seconds, was in the competition. And his blistering start left no room for Seville to catch up.

Thompson secured the 100m victory in just 9.88 seconds, while Seville was 0.09 seconds behind, clocking 9.97s. Thompson’s victory meant a lot at the time, as it signaled a comeback for Jamaican athletes, especially in short-distance running.

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“Today, I put together a decent race. I went through my phases as best as I could, and I’m super grateful for finishing injury-free. I want everyone to be patient because great things are going to happen,” said the Olympic silver medalist after his win.

This brewing rivalry between the two countrymen was further heightened when Thompson again defeated Seville at the Jamaican Olympic Trials, where he clocked a blistering 9.75s that also was the world lead at that time.

He was followed by Seville in 2nd, who ran a 9.83. However, the two met again at the Tokyo World Championships, where this time, Seville emerged in front of Thompson, clocking 9.77 seconds. Thompson came second with a time of 9.82 seconds, while Noah Lyles just managed to secure third with a 9.89.

So, while the organizers have confirmed that there will be no 8th edition of the Racers Grand Prix, fans will hope it isn’t a permanent cancellation, as the chance to see such rivalries play out away from the big stages is what keeps the sport intriguing.