Kanyinsola Ajayi has sent another warning shot to the sprinting world, lighting up the track at the Meeting International Sotteville-lès-Rouen.
The 20-year-old Nigerian sprinting monarch stormed to a personal best-equaling 9.92 seconds (+1.7 m/s) to win the men’s 100m and set a new meeting record at the Stade Jean Adret.
Ajayi’s explosive run dethroned the long-standing 10.02s meeting record set by Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman in 2015.
A Quality Field Humbled by Kanyinsola Ajayi
Ajayi didn’t just win, he dominated a loaded field that included:
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Emmanuel Eseme (10.04s)
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Mamadou Fall Sarr (10.10s)
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Eugene Amo-Dadzie (10.16s)
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Rohan Browning (10.16s)
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Jerome Blake (10.23s)
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Tsebo Matsoso (10.32s)
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Jimmy Vicaut (10.36s)
Ajayi, drawn in lane five, reacted in 0.156 seconds and blazed past the pack with smooth mechanics and clinical drive-phase execution.
It was his first race since placing fourth at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, where he originally clocked 9.92s.
Fastest Nigerian Sprinter in 2025
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9.92s – Equal PB
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Fourth career sub-10 run
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Tied for second-most sub-10s by a Nigerian
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Ranks 4th on Nigeria’s all-time list
Ajayi’s current form puts him in elite company. He now shares the record of four sub-10s with Davidson Ezinwa and Seun Ogunkoya, trailing only Olapade Adeniken (5) and Divine Oduduru (6).
In terms of Nigeria’s all-time 100m list, he is now tied for 4th fastest, behind:
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Olusoji Fasuba – 9.85s
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Divine Oduduru – 9.86s
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Godson Oghenebrume – 9.90s
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Ajayi, Ogunkoya, Onwuzurike – 9.92s
A Season of Breakthroughs for Kanyinsola Ajayi
It has been a career-defining year for Ajayi.
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Nigerian 100m national champion (June 2024)
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Olympic semi-finalist in Paris 2024
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Anchored Nigeria to 4x100m silver at African Championships
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6.48s indoor PB over 60m at NCAA Indoors (March 2025)
