Ajayi Targets Silesia Redemption as Nathaniel Eyes Diamond League Final
Nigerian stars Kanyinsola Ajayi and Nathaniel Ezekiel have been confirmed for the Diamond League meeting in Silesia, Poland, on August 23 as they return to action following their podium appearances at the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Ajayi will be looking to bounce back after surprisingly missing out on the 100m gold in Glasgow, where he finished third behind Emmanuel Eseme despite arriving as the fastest athlete in the field.
The 21-year-old Nigerian will be hoping to rebuild his confidence ahead of next month’s World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Ajayi made history in London by becoming the first Nigerian man to win a 100m Diamond League event and will be targeting another strong performance in Silesia.
He has also won his last two appearances in World Athletics’ elite one-day meeting series, including victories in Eugene and London, although the Eugene meeting was not part of the Diamond League circuit.
The Nigerian could face Eseme again if the two are drawn in the same semi-final heat or both qualify for the final.
Ajayi will also line up against reigning world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica, whom he defeated in Eugene and London, as well as South Africans Akani Simbine and Gift Leotlela, Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy and a strong American contingent led by 2019 world champion Christian Coleman and Kenneth Bednarek.
Victory in Silesia, however, may not be enough for Ajayi to secure a place in next month’s Diamond League Final in Brussels. A win would take his tally to 16 points, but Simbine and Bednarek only need to finish among the top six in Silesia to move ahead of him in the standings.
Nathaniel Ezekiel, meanwhile, has a strong opportunity to secure a second consecutive Diamond League Final appearance. The Nigerian quarter-mile hurdler currently sits ninth in the standings with five points but could move into the top eight if he finishes among the top two in Silesia, which would likely see him rise to seventh or eighth.
Shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, however, will not compete in Silesia and has therefore missed the opportunity to improve his position in the Diamond League standings.
The Silesia meeting is the 13th of the 15-leg Diamond League series and represents an important opportunity for the Nigerian duo to strengthen their positions ahead of the final stages of the season.
