Nigerian sprinter, Kayinsola Ajayi, continued his remarkable 2026 season by winning the men’s 100m at the Galà dei Castelli meeting in Bellinzona, Switzerland, on Sunday.
The 21-year-old crossed the finish line in 9.91 seconds, with a legal tailwind of 0.2m/s, to claim victory ahead of American Ronnie Baker, who finished in 9.94s. South African sprint star Akani Simbine placed third in 9.95s.
The performance was Ajayi’s 15th career sub-10-second clocking and his ninth legal run under 10 seconds this season.
He opened his 2026 campaign with a 9.96s victory at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, in April, before producing the biggest run of his career at the NCAA Division I East First Round in May.
Ajayi clocked 9.84s at the meeting to set a new Nigerian 100m record, breaking Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old national mark of 9.85s.
The Auburn University athlete subsequently won the NCAA outdoor 100m title and has equalled his national record twice.
He has also recorded two Diamond League victories this season.
His impressive form continued at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he secured bronze in the men’s 100m.
Ajayi recently signed with Adidas and confirmed that he would leave Auburn after three seasons rather than use his final year of collegiate eligibility.
His latest triumph in Switzerland further underlined his emergence as one of Nigeria’s leading sprint talents, with attention now turning to the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September.
