Nigeria’s sprinting history was rewritten on Friday night as Kanyinsola Ajayi stormed to a sensational 9.84 seconds to win his men’s 100m race at the NCAA East Regionals and book his place at the NCAA Championships.
Running with a legal wind reading of 0.4, 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 performance also propelled the 21 year old Nigerian star to the top of the global rankings, making him the fastest man in the world so far in 2026 and handing him the world lead.
Ajayi’s historic run is now the second-fastest 100m performance in collegiate history, further underlining his growing reputation as one of the brightest sprint talents in world athletics.
Behind the Nigerian sensation, Ghana’s Mustapha Bopkin finished second in 9.97 seconds, while American sprinter Ajani Dwyer placed third 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.
American sprinter Durian Moss posted a personal best of 10.03 seconds, while Traunard Folson followed closely in 10.04 seconds.
The depth of the race was further highlighted by strong performances from Jaiden Reid (10.05), Davonte Howell (10.06 season’s best), Tyler Davis (10.07), Azeem Fahmi (10.09 season’s best), Neo Mosebi (10.12) and Omari Lewis, who matched his season’s best of 10.12 seconds.
For Nigeria, however, the night belonged entirely to Ajayi, whose electrifying performance has now placed him firmly among the elite sprinters in the world ahead of the NCAA Championships and the major international competitions later this year.
Key to success
Speaking after the race in an interview with Making of Champions, an emotional Ajayi revealed that the performance was the result of trust in his preparation and faith in God.
“My coach told me what to do. I knew I was in good shape, so I just had to come here and execute,” he said.
Ajayi had already hinted at something special when he comfortably ran 9.90s in the earlier rounds. Yet even he appeared surprised by the magnitude of his achievement.
Asked about breaking Fasuba’s long-standing national record, he said: “I’ve always been dreaming about it. God made it happen, so I’m very grateful to God.”
The Nigerian sprinter also insisted that his focus remains on self-improvement rather than comparisons with rivals ahead of the NCAA Championships.
“It is me versus myself. I’m not thinking about anybody else. I just have to focus and do what I have to do,” he said.
Ajayi added that he plans to maintain his current form and stay healthy as he targets more success at the NCAA Championships before turning his attention to the Commonwealth Games later in the year and the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
