Nigerian sprint star Kanyinsola Ajayi has made history by setting a new national record in the men’s 100 metres, clocking an impressive 9.84 seconds at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round Track and Field Championships in the United States.
The 21-year-old Auburn University athlete produced the remarkable performance during the quarter-final heats in the early hours of Saturday, May 30, surpassing the long-standing Nigerian record of 9.85 seconds set by Olusoji Fasuba in May 2006.
Ajayi’s achievement ends a 20-year wait for a new national record in the event and further cements his status as one of the world’s fastest sprinters.
The feat is the latest milestone in the young athlete’s rapid rise on the international stage. He had already announced himself as a major contender 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 eventually finished sixth in the final.
With his latest time, Ajayi now holds the fastest men’s 100m performance recorded anywhere in the world in 2026. The mark also places him just 0.02 seconds shy of the NCAA men’s 100m record of 9.82 seconds set by American sprinter Christian Coleman in 2017.
His 9.84-second run elevates him to the position of the second-fastest collegiate athlete in United States history.
Nigeria’s success at the meet extended beyond the 100m event as Samuel Ogazi also delivered a record-breaking performance in the men’s 400m. Ogazi stormed to a new Nigerian record of 43.82 seconds, lowering his previous national mark and improving on the world-leading time he had posted earlier this season.
The performances by Ajayi and Ogazi underscore Nigeria’s growing presence in global athletics and provide further optimism ahead of major international competitions.
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