Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi produced the performance of his career on Friday night, clocking a sensational 9.84 seconds to win his men’s 100m race at the NCAA East Regionals and rewrite the nation’s sprinting history, Trybal News reports
Running with a legal wind reading of 0.4m/s, Ajayi shattered the long-standing Nigerian national record of 9.85 seconds set by Olusoji Fasuba in 2006, ending a 20-year wait for a new national benchmark in the blue-riband event.
The remarkable run also propelled the 21-year-old to the top of the world rankings for 2026, making him the fastest man in the world this year and further establishing him as one of the brightest sprint talents in global athletics.
Ajayi’s historic performance now ranks as the second-fastest 100m time in NCAA history, underlining the magnitude of his achievement on one of collegiate athletics’ biggest stages.
Behind the Nigerian star, Ghana’s Mustapha Bopkin finished second in 9.97 seconds, while American sprinter Ajani Dwyer claimed third place in 9.99 seconds.
Another Nigerian, Israel Okon, also impressed with a sub-10-second performance, clocking 9.99 seconds in a highly competitive field.
With the NCAA Championships fast approaching, Ajayi’s record-breaking performance sends a strong statement to the rest of the sprinting world and strengthens Nigeria’s hopes of success on the global stage later this year.
For Nigerian athletics, the significance of the moment extends beyond the stopwatch. After two decades, a national record once thought untouchable has finally fallen, ushering in a new era for the country’s sprinting programme.
