Race Analysis: Ajayi’s Flying Opening 70m Not Enough as Eseme Storms to Commonwealth Gold
Kayinsola Ajayi did almost everything right in the men’s 100m final at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, but a devastating finish from Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme denied the Nigerian a historic gold medal.
The race analysis revealed that Ajayi actually executed the better opening phase of the race. After reacting well to the gun with a 0.133-second reaction time, the quickest in the field, he established himself among the leaders almost immediately.
By the 40m mark, Ajayi had moved into first place alongside Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy with 4.68 seconds, before taking sole control of the race between 50m and 70m.
The Nigerian led the entire field at 60m in 6.37 seconds, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Kennedy (6.38) and seven-hundredths ahead of eventual champion Emmanuel Eseme (6.44).
He still held the lead at 70m, clocking 7.23 seconds, with Kennedy second on the same cumulative time and Eseme trailing in fourth at 7.27.
The turning point came over the final 30m. While Ajayi’s speed began to taper, Eseme produced the strongest finish in the field.
The Cameroonian covered the final three 10m segments in 0.84, 0.84 and 0.88 seconds, surging from fourth place at 70m to third at 80m, drawing level with Kennedy at 90m and then powering clear over the closing metres.
Ajayi, by contrast, slowed slightly over the closing stages. He covered the final 20m in 1.81 seconds (0.89 and 0.92), while Eseme ran the same distance in 1.72 seconds (0.84 and 0.88).
That nine-hundredths advantage in the closing metres proved decisive, allowing the Cameroonian to overturn Ajayi’s early lead and win in a Games record and national record of 9.83 seconds.
Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy also finished strongly, clocking an Australian record 9.85 seconds to claim silver, while Ajayi crossed in 9.90 seconds to secure bronze, Nigeria’s first Commonwealth Games men’s 100m medal since Olusoji Fasuba won silver in Melbourne in 2006.
