Kanyinsola Ajayi has rewritten Nigeria’s men’s 100m record after delivering a stunning performance at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round track and field meet in the United States.
The 21-year-old sprinter, representing Auburn University, crossed the finish line in 9.84 seconds during one of the quarter-final heats on Saturday morning.
His time eclipsed the previous national record of 9.85 seconds set by Olusoji Fasuba in May 2006, ending a two-decade reign.
Ajayi had long been tipped to break the record. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, he ran 9.88 seconds in the heats to become the first Nigerian in 18 years to qualify for the men’s 100m final, where he eventually finished sixth.
The new mark also stands as the fastest men’s 100m time recorded anywhere in the world this year, surpassing recent performances by Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi, the reigning 400m world champion.
Ajayi’s 9.84-second run moves him closer to the NCAA record of 9.82 seconds established by American sprinter Christian Coleman in 2017 while competing for the University of Tennessee. The Nigerian now ranks as the second-fastest collegiate athlete in US history.
Meanwhile, Samuel Ogazi also delivered an impressive performance at the same competition, setting a new Nigerian record in the men’s 400m with a time of 43.82 seconds.
The feat improved on the world-leading mark he had established earlier this month, further cementing his rise on the global athletics stage.