Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi has finished in the sixth position in the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Though he did not make it to the podium, his performance capped a historic breakthrough season for the Nigerian sprinter who incidentally turned 21 on Sunday.
Lining up against some of the biggest names in global sprinting, Ajayi held his own in a fast race that featured defending champion Noah Lyles, Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, and South Africa’s Akani Simbine.
Though he missed out on the medals, his presence in the final was historic — making him the first Nigerian man since Olusoji Fasuba in 2007 to reach the World Championships 100m final.
Ajayi’s sixth-place finish is only part of the story. All six of his sub-10-second runs have come this season, marking him out as one of the most consistent young sprinters in the world.
His progression reads like a statement of intent: 9.96s, 9.95s, 9.93s, 9.92s, another 9.92s, and a personal best of 9.88s — just three-hundredths of a second shy of Fasuba’s national record of 9.85s.
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For a sprinter who only emerged onto the senior international scene this year, Ajayi’s ability to repeatedly dip under 10 seconds has been remarkable. Few athletes achieve such range in one season, and at just 21 years old, Ajayi still appears to be scratching the surface of his talent.
His semifinal run of 9.93s in Tokyo secured Nigeria’s long-awaited return to a global 100m final. Though the final itself did not deliver a podium finish, it confirmed that Nigeria has unearthed a genuine sprint force capable of challenging the world’s best in the years to come.
For a country that has long yearned for a male sprinter to reclaim its place among the elite, Ajayi represents a new dawn. If his 2025 season is any indication, Nigeria’s wait for another global medal in the men’s 100m may soon be over.