By Ameh Gabriel
Nigerian sprint sensation Kanyinsola Ajayi, made an electrifying start to his 2025 outdoor season by clocking a new personal best of 9.96 seconds in the men’s 100 meters, placing him among the world’s fastest sprinters this year.
Competing at the Tom Jones Memorial Meet in Gainesville, Florida, the 20-year-old blazed to first place in a fiercely competitive field, marking a significant milestone in his budding career. His time ties him for the second-fastest 100m performance globally in 2025, just behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who ran 9.90 seconds in Gaborone on April 12.
Interestingly, Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake also posted a 9.96s run on the same day as Ajayi, although under slightly different wind conditions. This places Ajayi ahead of several top international contenders, including Courtney Lindsey (USA, 9.97s), Bayanda Walaza (South Africa, 9.99s), and Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya, 10.00s).
Ajayi’s performance in Gainesville was especially impressive given the depth of the field. He outpaced top U.S. collegiate stars such as LSU’s Jelani Watkins (10.03s), T’Mars McCallum (10.04s), and Kalen Walker (10.06s). Other finalists like Sam Blaskowski, Myles Thomas, Xavier Butler, and Deron Dudley all dipped under 10.20 seconds, making it one of the most competitive races of the season so far.
With this remarkable run, Kanyinsola Ajayi has firmly positioned himself as one of the rising stars to watch this season—flying the Nigerian flag high on the global stage.
