21-year-old Kanyinsola Ajayi Shatters Nigeria’s 100m Record after 20 years

Nigerian sprint star Kanyinsola Ajayi has rewritten the country’s athletics history after clocking a blistering 9.84 seconds in the men’s 100m at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round meet in the United States.

Representing Auburn University, the 21-year-old produced the record-breaking run in the quarter-final heats, surpassing the previous national record of 9.85 seconds set by Olusoji Fasuba in May 2006.

Ajayi’s latest feat continues his impressive rise in world sprinting. Last year, he became the first Nigerian in 18 years to reach the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships after running 9.88 seconds in the heats, before finishing sixth in the final.

His 9.84-second performance is currently the fastest men’s 100m time recorded globally in 2026 and moves him within touching distance of the NCAA record of 9.82 seconds set by American sprinter Christian Coleman in 2017. The achievement also ranks him as the second-fastest collegiate sprinter in U.S. history.

At the same competition, fellow Nigerian athlete Samuel Ogazi also made history, setting a new national record in the men’s 400m with a time of 43.82 seconds. The mark improved on the world-leading time he had posted earlier this month, further underlining his growing status on the international stage.