Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi has completed within the sixth place within the males’s 100m ultimate on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Although he didn’t make it to the rostrum, his efficiency capped a historic breakthrough season for the Nigerian sprinter who by the way turned 21 on Sunday.
Lining up towards a number of the largest names in world sprinting, Ajayi held his personal in a quick race that featured defending champion Noah Lyles, Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, and South Africa’s Akani Simbine.
Although he missed out on the medals, his presence within the ultimate was historic — making him the primary Nigerian man since Olusoji Fasuba in 2007 to achieve the World Championships 100m ultimate.
Ajayi’s sixth-place end is barely a part of the story. All six of his sub-10-second runs have come this season, marking him out as probably the most constant younger sprinters on this planet.
His development reads like a press release of intent: 9.96s, 9.95s, 9.93s, 9.92s, one other 9.92s, and a private better of 9.88s — simply three-hundredths of a second shy of Fasuba’s nationwide file of 9.85s.
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For a sprinter who solely emerged onto the senior worldwide scene this yr, Ajayi’s skill to repeatedly dip below 10 seconds has been outstanding. Few athletes obtain such vary in a single season, and at simply 21 years previous, Ajayi nonetheless seems to be scratching the floor of his expertise.
His semifinal run of 9.93s in Tokyo secured Nigeria’s long-awaited return to a worldwide 100m ultimate. Although the ultimate itself didn’t ship a podium end, it confirmed that Nigeria has unearthed a real dash pressure able to difficult the world’s greatest within the years to return.
For a rustic that has lengthy yearned for a male sprinter to reclaim its place among the many elite, Ajayi represents a brand new daybreak. If his 2025 season is any indication, Nigeria’s wait for an additional world medal within the males’s 100m might quickly be over.
