For 20 years, Olusoji Fasuba’s 9.85-second national record stood as one of the most enduring marks in Nigerian athletics. Several sprinters threatened it, but none succeeded in lowering it.
Kanyinsola Ajayi has now done what many believed would take something extraordinary.
The 21-year-old Auburn University athlete clocked 9.84 seconds at the NCAA Division I East First Round meet in the United States on Saturday, shaving one-hundredth of a second off Fasuba’s long-standing record and establishing himself as one of the leading sprinters in the world this season.
The performance is the latest milestone in a rapid rise that has transformed Ajayi from a promising collegiate athlete into a genuine international contender. Less than a year ago, he became the first Nigerian in 18 years to reach the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships, running 9.88 seconds in the heats before placing sixth in the final.
His latest run suggests that performance was not a breakthrough moment but part of a broader upward trajectory.
Beyond the national record, Ajayi’s time currently stands as the fastest 100m recorded anywhere in the world in 2026. It also moves him within two hundredths of a second of Christian Coleman’s NCAA record of 9.82 seconds and places him among the fastest collegiate sprinters in American history.
For Nigerian athletics, the significance extends beyond the numbers. The country has spent years searching for a male sprinter capable of consistently competing with the world’s elite. Ajayi’s recent performances indicate that the search may finally be over.
With major international competitions still ahead this season, attention will now shift from whether he can break national records to how far he can push them.
