Nigerian Kanyinsola Ajayi Becomes World’s 2nd Fastest In 2025

Nigerian sprinter Kanyinsola Ajayi has kicked off his 2025 outdoor season with a stunning performance, clocking a personal best of 9.96 seconds in the men’s 100 meters.

The 20-year-old Kanyinsola Ajayi competed at the Tom Jones Memorial event in Gainesville, Florida, where he clinched first place in a competitive race. His winning time makes him the second-fastest sprinter in the world so far this year.

Ajayi’s result is only bettered by South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who ran 9.90 seconds in Gaborone on April 12. Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake also ran 9.96 seconds on the same day, but with slightly different wind conditions.

This achievement puts Ajayi among the top sprinters of the season, ahead of runners like America’s Courtney Lindsey (9.97 seconds), South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza (9.99 seconds), and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (10.00 seconds).

The race in Gainesville was packed with talented young athletes, especially from the U.S. Ajayi beat LSU’s Jelani Watkins (10.03 seconds), T’Mars McCallum (10.04 seconds), and Kalen Walker (10.06 seconds). Other finalists, including Sam Blaskowski, Myles Thomas, Xavier Butler, and Deron Dudley, all finished under 10.20 seconds—making it a very competitive final.

With this victory, Kanyinsola Ajayi becomes the 14th Nigerian sprinter to run under 10 seconds and is now tied as the 10th fastest Nigerian of all time, matching Raymond Ekevwo’s 9.96 seconds set in 2019. He joins a prestigious list that includes legendary Nigerian athletes like Olusoji Fasuba, Divine Oduduru, Seun Ogunkoya, Davidson Ezinwa, and Favour Ashe.

In the history of Nigerian sprinting, Fasuba holds the record with 9.85 seconds, followed by Oduduru (9.86) and Godson Brume (9.90). Ajayi’s performance, especially at the beginning of the season, suggests he may run even faster in the months ahead.
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