With the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, barely two weeks away, Nigeria’s hope of mounting the medal podium is getting a big boost, especially with the form of sprinter, Kanyinsola Ajayi. Last May, the Auburn University sprint sensation ran a record-breaking 9.84 seconds at the NCAA East Regional Championships to eclipse Olusoji Fasuba’s long-standing national record of 9.85 second. And just last Saturday, at the prestigious Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, against a star-studded field that includes reigning world champions, Kanyisola Ajayi dusted Jamaican Oblique Seville in a time of 9.84 seconds to emerge first, thereby sending signaling his intention ahead of the
Glasgow showpiece and the 2027 World Athletics Championship
Nigerian sprinter, Kanyinsola Ajayi last Saturday stunned the athletics world, winning the men’s 100m at the prestigious Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The 21-year-old collegiate breakout star clocked a blistering 9.84 seconds to defeat reigning world champion Oblique Seville, who took second place in 9.89 seconds.
Former world champion, Christian Coleman finished third in 9.95 seconds, just ahead of Kenneth Bednarek in 9.96 seconds.
The result came on Ajayi’s Diamond League debut, and his winning time of 9.84 seconds is second only to Seville’s season-best 9.82 seconds between the pair this year. Ajayi’s winning time also equalled the Nigerian record of 9.84 seconds that he first set in May at the NCAA East Regional Championships, when he eclipsed Olusoji Fasuba’s long-standing national record of 9.85 seconds that had stood since the Doha Grand Prix in 2006.
Despite Seville making the better start from the blocks, Ajayi powered past the Jamaican during the acceleration phase, taking the lead outright at the 30-metre mark and never looking back.
Speaking after his landmark win on the global stage, Ajayi said: “I feel good, I’ve been consistent. That was part of my goal—to stay on top of it all, stay consistent, come out here and do what I have to do and just execute my race.”
The 21-year-old, who hails from Ikorodu and attends Auburn University in the United States, has had a remarkable season. He won the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships over 60 metres and the 100 metres at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming the second Nigerian to win the NCAA 100m title after Divine Oduduru in 2018. The Prefontaine Classic victory is simply the latest statement in what is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for Nigerian sprinting.
Ajayi says equalling his own national record has only strengthened his belief that faster times are ahead for him.
“Equalling the national record again means a lot. That means I can do better and I feel great about that,” Ajayi told FloTrack.
“I’m just going to continue the momentum, no going back and whatever is next is next.”
The victory capped another remarkable milestone for the Nigerian, who only weeks earlier won his first NCAA Outdoor 100m title after an outstanding collegiate season.
Ajayi insisted the transition from collegiate athletics to the professional circuit has not been intimidating, crediting the demanding NCAA environment for preparing him to compete against the world’s best.
“It feels like the same thing to me. Competing in the NCAA and the pressure in the NCAA. If I could overcome the pressure in the NCAA, that means I can overcome any pressure at pro level, so it’s still the same thing to me, nothing different,” he said after the race.
The Nigerian also outlined the formula behind his impressive run of form.
“Consistency, practice and just stay healthy and just trust myself and trust my coach,” he said.
The victory confirmed Ajayi’s emergence as one of the world’s elite sprinters and strengthened Nigeria’s hopes ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
“Consistency is my biggest goal. I know what I’m capable of, and I want to keep performing at this level every time I step onto the track,” Ajayi said.
The former Auburn University standout credited his remarkable transition into professional athletics to the experience gained during a demanding NCAA season, describing collegiate competition in the United States as the ideal preparation for competing against the world’s fastest men.
Ajayi admitted he arrived in Eugene full of confidence after a successful collegiate campaign and believes that experience has helped him cope with the pressure of elite international competition.
“The NCAA prepared me for moments like this. Racing against top athletes every week gave me the confidence to compete on the professional stage,” he added.
Despite his record-equalling performance, Ajayi insists he is far from satisfied, revealing that his priority is to remain healthy, continue trusting his coach and keep improving every aspect of his sprinting.
With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching and the World Athletics Championships on the horizon, the Nigerian sprint star believes consistency will be the key to transforming his breakthrough season into sustained global success.
Already regarded as one of Africa’s brightest athletics prospects, Ajayi’s latest performance has further established him as a genuine medal contender on the international stage and one of the athletes expected to spearhead Nigeria’s sprint resurgence in the years ahead.
Meanwhile, Director-General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, said the performances were a boost for Team Nigeria ahead of Glasgow.
These performances are great news for Nigerian athletics and further demonstrate the incredible talents of our athletes home or abroad. Without overstating, they belong to the very top of their sport, and it can only get better for them,” he said.
“Also, the Eugene Diamond League made it very obvious that our athletes are in excellent shape ahead of the Commonwealth Games.”
Olopade said the athletes would join their teammates training in Aberdeen before the team proceeds to Glasgow for the Games.
Ajayi first 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, when the 21-year-old Auburn University athlete clocked an astonishing 9.84 seconds in one of the quarter-final heats thereby setting a new Nigerian record in the event. A feat that marks a big 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, most especially 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.
His latest performance also makes him the fastest man in the world so far in 2026, surpassing the previous world-leading mark set earlier this week by Botswana’s 400m world champion, Collen Kebinatshipi, who had attracted global attention with a remarkable run over the shorter distance.
Ajayi’s 9.84-second finish now ranks as the second-fastest collegiate athlete in United States history.