Incredible Ajayi storms to 9.96 lifetime best, punches 2025 World Championships ticket

Kanyinsola Ajayi fulfilled expectations of becoming the next Nigerian sprinter to break 10 seconds in the 100m event after storming to a 9.96 lifetime best to win the blue ribband event at the Tom Jones Memorial meeting in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday.

Ajayi served notice of what he delivered on Saturday last month when he blazed to a 6.48 personal best to equal the 60m Nigerian record set in 1999 by Deji Aliu in Lievin, France.

While it took Aliu four years to run inside 10 seconds after running 6.48 in Lievin, it has taken Ajayi, the Paris 2024 Olympics 100m semifinalist about a month to do so.

The 20 year old has now become the 11th Nigerian man to break 10 seconds in the 100m event and the first man to qualify in the blue ribband event for the 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

He is also the fourth fastest in the NCAA so far this outdoor season.

Ajayi is not the only one who set a new personal best on Saturday. Fellow Auburn Tiger, Israel Okon, who also dazzled to a new 6.51 lifetime best and African U20 record in the 60m last month, ran a 10.07 personal best in the race to finish sixth in the overall classification.

Adekalu Fakorede, the Nigerian leader in the event (10.11) before Saturday’s race in Gainesville ran 10.39 to finish 19th in the overall classification.

For the women, Tima Godbless battled a strong head wind (-2.4 m/s) but still managed to stop the clock at 11.14 in the 100m, a day after storming to a 22.55 personal best in the 200m.

The 20 year old who punched her ticket to the World Championships in the 200m could not however do so in the 100m as her 11.14 is way off the 11.07 entry standard set for the blue riband event by World Athletics.

Blessing Ogundiran (11.44) and Faith Okwose (11.45) finished 16th and 17th in the overall classification while Godbless was beaten only by Anthaya Charlton who ran a wind-aided 11.12 to win in the overall classification.

In the women’s 400m, Ella Onojuvwewvo did not start while Chioma Nwachukwu who impressed indoors this year, running a 52.07 personal best, proved her performance indoors was not by happenstance as she set a new lifetime best in the full lap race outdoor.

The 16 year old improved on the 51.44 she ran early this month by crossing the finish line in 51.26.

Another Nigerian, Esther Joseph, who had a wonderful 2024 with some incredible performances also ran inside 52 seconds (51.96) at the meet.

For the men, Edidiong Udo also sped to a new 45.19 personal best in the 400m to move up to second in the Nigerian top list for 2025 behind Chidi Okezie who ran 45.15 in Gaborone, Botswana last week.