Kanyinsola Ajayi Sets New Nigerian 100m Record in 9.84 Seconds

Nigerian sprinter Kanyinsola Ajayi has set a new national record in the men’s 100 metres, clocking 9.84 seconds at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round track and field meet in the United States.

The 21‑year‑old Auburn University athlete achieved the time in one of the quarter‑final heats early Saturday, surpassing the previous record of 9.85 seconds that had been held by Olusoji Fasuba since May 2006.

Ajayi’s performance continues his rapid ascent on the international stage. He first hinted at record‑breaking potential at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he ran 9.88 seconds in the heats to become the first Nigerian in 18 years to reach the men’s 100‑metre final, finishing sixth in the final race.

The 9.84‑second run also makes Ajayi the fastest man in the world for 2026 to date, overtaking the earlier world‑leading time set by Botswana’s 400‑metre champion Collen Kebinatshipi earlier in the week.

His time places him just 0.02 seconds shy of the NCAA men’s 100‑metre record of 9.82 seconds, set by Christian Coleman in 2017 while competing for the University of Tennessee. Ajayi is now the second‑fastest collegiate athlete in United States history.

The meet also featured a standout performance from Samuel Ogazi in the men’s 400 metres. Ogazi broke the Nigerian record with a time of 43.82 seconds, improving on his own previous national mark and the world‑leading time he had posted earlier in the month.

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