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Ajayi Makes History, Becomes First Nigerian Podium Finisher in 100m Diamond League

From ThisDay · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Nigerian sprinter Kanyinsola Ajayi finished third in the men’s 100 meters at the Diamond League final in Brussels in 9.97 seconds.
  • He became the first Nigerian to win a podium place in the men’s 100 meters at the Diamond League final.
  • Ajayi also set a Nigerian record of 9.84 seconds and won a 2026 Commonwealth Games bronze medal during an outstanding season.

Kanyinsola Ajayi has become the first Nigerian to finish on the podium in the men’s 100 meters at the Diamond League final.

The 21-year-old ran 9.97 seconds in Brussels to take third place. Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won in 9.90 seconds, while Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme finished second in 9.93.

Ajayi completed an exceptional season that included a personal best of 9.84 seconds, breaking Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old Nigerian record in the event. He also won bronze for Nigeria in the 100 meters at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Earlier in the year, Ajayi won the NCAA championships in both the men’s indoor 60 meters and outdoor 100 meters. His wind-assisted 9.72-second run in the NCAA 100 meters placed him joint sixth with Asafa Powell on the list of the fastest sprinters under all conditions. Only Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Yohan Blake, Obadele Thompson and Andre De Grasse had run faster.

Ajayi is expected to return to the United States after the season to continue his studies and begin preparing for 2027.

About this summary

Originally published by ThisDay. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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