Nigerian duo Kayinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon cruised into the semifinals of the men’s 100m on their World Championships debut at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Ajayi ran a controlled race, easing off in the last few meters to break his personal best with a fiery time of 9.88s, making him the 3rd fastest Nigerian sprinter of all time in the process, Making Of Champions reports.
He now holds the record for the most sub-10s run by a Nigerian in a single season, having broken the barrier five times in 2025.
That tally also ties him in first place on the Nigerian all-time list for the most sub-10s recorded in a career.
He came second in his heat behind Gift Leotlela of South Africa who also shattered his personal best to 9.87s, but ahead of Oblique Sevile of Jamaica who managed a 9.93s after a poor start.
Unlike Ajayi who was at the Olympics last year, this was Okon’s first major global competition in the senior ranks and he didn’t let inexperience get the best of him as he bossed the field like a veteran.
He maintained composure all through the race to take the win in a solid 10.04s over Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain who pushed hard in the closing phase to grab the second automatic spot (10.06s) and the Tokyo Olympic champion, Marcell Jacobs of Italy (10.20s), who made history at the same stadium four years ago.