Ajayi Strikes 9.92 Again, Shatters Meet Record in France
Kanyinsola Ajayi has officially thrown down the gauntlet.
The 20-year-old Nigerian sprint sensation equaled his personal best of 9.92 seconds at the Meeting International Sotteville-les-Rouen in France, storming to victory and setting a new meeting record at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event.
Ajayi, fresh off a sensational NCAA season, transferred his collegiate form seamlessly to the elite international circuit, matching the time that already ranks as the fourth-fastest in Nigerian history. The previous record at the Sotteville meeting was 10.02s, set by Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman in 2015.
The 100m final saw an African sweep of the podium:
Kanyinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) – 9.92s
Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) – 10.04s
Mamadou Fall Sarr (Senegal) – 10.10s
Ajayi, who reached the 100m semifinals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has shown remarkable consistency in 2025. He broke 10 seconds three times outdoors and clocked under 6.60 seconds seven times indoors, including a national record-tying 6.48s at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
With the World Championships in Tokyo looming this September, Ajayi is fueling hope that he may finally break Nigeria’s 100m final drought—an 18-year absence since Olusoji Fasuba placed fourth in Osaka 2007.
If Monday night’s race in Sotteville is anything to go by, the road to Tokyo may have just found its most promising Nigerian sprinter in nearly two decades.
