Ajayi Out of Diamond League 100m Final as Nathaniel Moves Into Eighth
Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi has missed out on automatic qualification for the Diamond League 100m final after finishing fourth in Silesia on Sunday, leaving his hopes of making history dependent on a possible wild card invitation.
Ajayi clocked 9.94 seconds in the final, finishing behind Jamaica’s Seville Oblique, who set a meeting record of 9.83, American Kenneth Bednarek, who ran a season’s best 9.87, and compatriot Christian Coleman, who finished third in 9.93. Cameroon’s reigning Commonwealth Games champion Emmanuel Eseme was ninth in 9.99, meaning all nine finalists broke 10 seconds.
The fourth-place finish lifted Ajayi’s Diamond League points tally to 13 and moved him to 10th in the standings. With only the top eight athletes qualifying for the final in Brussels next month, the Nigerian will now have to rely on a wild card if he is to become the first Nigerian man to compete in a Diamond League 100m final.
Despite missing out on the final, Ajayi ends his debut Diamond League season having made history as the first Nigerian man to win a 100m race in the prestigious series.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Nathaniel Ezekiel has moved into the eighth and final qualifying position in the 400m hurdles after finishing fourth in Silesia in 47.83 seconds.
The 23-year-old now has one final opportunity to secure his place in the Brussels final when the Diamond League circuit moves to Zurich later this week.
Ezekiel will be aiming to complete a successful qualification campaign and earn a second consecutive appearance in the Diamond League final.
