Nigerian sprint star Kanyinsola Ajayi has broken the country’s long-standing men’s 100m record after clocking a blistering 9.84 seconds at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round meet in the United States.
The 21-year-old Auburn University athlete produced the historic run during the quarter-finals, eclipsing the previous national record of 9.85 seconds set by Olusoji Fasuba in May 2006.
The performance ends a 20-year wait for a new Nigerian men’s 100m record and further cements Ajayi’s status as one of the world’s fastest rising sprint talents.
Ajayi had hinted at his record-breaking potential at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, where he ran 9.88 seconds in the heats to become the first Nigerian in 18 years to reach the men’s 100m final before finishing sixth.
His latest time of 9.84 seconds is currently the fastest in the world in 2026 and moves him closer to the NCAA men’s 100m record of 9.82 seconds set by Christian Coleman in 2017.
The feat also elevates Ajayi to second place on the all-time list of fastest collegiate sprinters in U.S. history.
It was a memorable outing for Nigeria’s track and field contingent, with fellow sprinter Samuel Ogazi also delivering a standout performance in the men’s 400m.
Ogazi raced to a new Nigerian record of 43.82 seconds, improving on his previous national mark and strengthening his position as the world’s leading performer in the event this season.
