That performance confirmed his arrival at the world-class level, but this follow-up in France affirmed his growing consistency and readiness for the global stage.
The time places Ajayi among the world’s fastest men this year and ties him with Seun Ogunkoya and Udodi Onwuzurike for fourth place on Nigeria’s all-time list, behind only Soji Fasuba (9.85s), Divine Oduduru (9.86s), and Godson Oghenebrume (9.90s).
The Auburn University star now holds two of the five fastest legal times in Nigerian sprint history, both at age 20, and has joined Davidson Ezinwa and Ogunkoya with four career sub-10s, the second most by any Nigerian.
Ajayi, who won the Nigerian national 100m title in June 2024, also reached the semi-finals of the men’s 100m at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he doubled in the 4x100m relay and earned valuable relay experience.
At the African Championships held earlier in June in Douala, Cameroon, he narrowly missed the podium in the individual event, placing fourth, but returned to anchor Nigeria to silver in the 4x100m relay.
His indoor campaign earlier in this season was equally impressive. In March 2025, he clocked a personal best of 6.48s over 60m at the NCAA Indoor Championships, following that with a second-place finish in Virginia Beach where he ran 6.52s in a highly competitive final.
Kindly share this story:
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: theeditor@punchng.com
Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Punch Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don’t miss a headline – join now!
Leave a Reply