World Athletics Championships: Ajayi makes history, qualifies for 100m final

Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi has qualified for the men’s 100 metres final at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Ajayi clocked a time of 9.93 seconds to finish second in his semi-final heat on Sunday.

The race featured defending world champion, Noah Lyles of the United States, who finished first.

The result earned Ajayi automatic qualification to the final, making him the first Nigerian man in 18 years to reach a 100m final at the World Championships.

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The last man to achieve this feat was Olusoji Fasuba, who competed in the final at the 2007 Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Ajayi had earlier progressed from the heats with a then-personal best of 9.88 seconds, finishing second in his qualifying round – that time placed him among the fastest qualifiers into the semi-finals.

The 21-year-old sprinter has shown rapid improvement this season, emerging as one of Nigeria’s brightest medal prospects at the championships.

His qualification marks a significant moment for Nigerian athletics, coming after years of near misses in the men’s sprint events at major global competitions.

Ajayi will now line up in the men’s 100m final scheduled for Sunday night, where he will compete against a world-class field including Lyles, Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya), and Zharnel Hughes (Great Britain).

Team Nigeria officials have commended Ajayi’s performance, describing it as a breakthrough for the country’s male sprint programme.

The 2025 World Athletics Championships is holding at the National Stadium in Tokyo, with athletes from over 200 countries in attendance.

Ajayi’s appearance in the final places him among the world’s elite sprinters and rekindles hopes of a podium finish for Nigeria in the men’s 100 metres.

The Star