Nigerian sprint sensation, Konyinsola Ajayi, has stormed into the men’s 100m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, marking a historic milestone for the country.
The 21-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, blazed to a 9.93s finish in the semi-finals, the sixth sub-10s performance of his young career.
He placed second behind Olympic champion Noah Lyles, who clocked 9.92s, with South Africa’s Akani Simbine coming third in 9.96s.
Ajayi’s qualification is particularly significant as he becomes the first Nigerian sprinter in 18 years to reach the men’s 100m final at the World Championships.
The last was Olusoji Fasuba in Osaka, Japan, back in 2007, where the former African record holder narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish.
It was, however, a different outcome for Ajayi’s compatriot Israel Okon, who bowed out after finishing seventh in his semi-final in 10.14s.
In that race, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo set the pace with times of 9.86s and 9.94s, respectively.
Both Ajayi and Okon had impressed in Saturday’s heats. Ajayi set a new personal best of 9.88s, making him Nigeria’s third-fastest man in history.
Okon also showed his class with a 10.04s finish in heat six, beating Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.06s) and Olympic champion Lamont Jacobs (10.20s).
Now, Ajayi will line up in Sunday’s final at 2:20 pm with hopes of crowning his breakthrough tournament with a medal for Nigeria.
