Kanyinsola Ajayi has reignited Nigeria’s sprinting hopes at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo by becoming the first Nigerian man in 18 years to reach the men’s 100m final.
The 21-year-old stormed through the semifinals with a blistering 9.93 seconds, finishing second in his heat behind Olympic champion Noah Lyles.
Kanyisola Ajayi’s qualification ended Nigeria’s long absence from the blue riband sprint final at the World Championships the last appearance was by Olusoji Fasuba in Osaka back in 2007.
Earlier in the competition, Ajayi had already caught global attention by setting a personal best of 9.88 seconds in the heats.
In the final, he clocked 10.00 seconds to finish sixth, narrowly missing out on a medal but making history with his performance.
His achievement is being widely celebrated across Nigeria as a breakthrough moment for the nation’s athletics.
Ajayi’s rise this season, marked by multiple sub-10-second runs, confirms him as one of the brightest prospects in world sprinting.
Beyond ending an 18-year drought, his Tokyo heroics have lifted expectations for future championships and placed him firmly among the new generation of global sprint stars.
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