May 30, 2026
Nigerian sprint sensation Kanyinsola Ajayi has etched his name into the country’s athletics history after breaking the men’s 100m national record at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round track and field meet in the United States.
The 21-year-old Auburn University athlete clocked an astonishing 9.84 seconds in one of the quarter-final heats in the early hours of Saturday, setting a new Nigerian record in the event.
Ajayi’s performance eclipsed the previous mark of 9.85 seconds set by former sprint star Olusoji Fasuba in May 2006, ending a national record that had stood for two decades.
The feat marks another milestone in the athlete’s rapid rise on the global sprinting stage. Ajayi had signalled his potential to rewrite the record books in recent years, notably at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he ran 9.88 seconds in the heats to become the first Nigerian in 18 years to qualify for the men’s 100m final. He went on to finish sixth in the final.
