Nigeria’s sprint sensation Kanyinsola Ajayi has etched his name into the history books, becoming the first Nigerian man in 18 years to reach the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships.
The 20-year-old sprinter clocked 9.93 seconds to finish second in a stacked semifinal heat on Sunday in Tokyo, securing automatic qualification and ending Nigeria’s long wait since Olusoji Fasuba’s appearance in the 2007 Osaka final.
Drawn against some of the world’s biggest names including USA’s Noah Lyles, Olympic champion Marcell Lamont Jacobs, and South Africa’s Akani Simbine, Ajayi held his nerve with a blistering run that announced his arrival on the world stage.
Later that evening, Ajayi lined up for one of the most competitive 100m finals in recent memory. Facing sprint heavyweights like Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson (world-leading 9.75s), Oblique Seville, and USA’s Kenneth Bednarek, Ajayi clocked 10.00 seconds to finish sixth. Seville eventually claimed gold, with Thompson, Lyles, Bednarek, and Gift Leotlela completing the top five.
Although he missed out on a medal, Ajayi’s achievement was hailed as a “befitting birthday gift” for the youngster, whose semifinal breakthrough ended Nigeria’s 18-year drought in the blue-riband sprint event.
His road to the final had already stunned the athletics world: in the heats, Ajayi ran a jaw-dropping 9.88 seconds, moving him up to third on Nigeria’s all-time list, behind Fasuba’s national record of 9.85s and Divine Oduduru’s 9.86s.
Ajayi’s historic run not only rekindled memories of Fasuba but also underlined Africa’s rising sprint power. Remarkably, four of the eight finalists in Tokyo were African Ajayi, Letsile Tebogo (Botswana), Gift Leotlela (South Africa), and Simbine signaling a continental shift in global sprinting.
For Nigeria, Ajayi’s emergence represents more than just a personal milestone; it is a symbol of revival, igniting hope that the nation can soon return to the medal podium in world sprinting.
