Confirmed: Ajayi Set for Historic Diamond League Final in Brussels
Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi has been confirmed to compete in the men’s 100m at this week’s Wanda Diamond League Final at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, where he could become the first Nigerian man to win a Diamond League title.
The reigning NCAA 60m and 100m champion, who also holds Nigeria’s 100m record, was listed among the athletes confirmed for the event by the organisers on social media.
It was not immediately clear whether Ajayi qualified through the Diamond League qualification process, was awarded a wild card or benefited from the withdrawal of one or more qualified athletes.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a strong campaign in the Diamond League, winning two of the three men’s 100m races in which he has competed and becoming the first Nigerian man to win a 100m event at a Diamond League meeting.
If Ajayi received a wild card, he would still be eligible to win the Diamond Trophy and be crowned Diamond League champion, although he would not be entitled to the full prize money.
The winner’s prize is $30,000 for a standard Diamond discipline and $60,000 for a Diamond+ discipline. It remains to be confirmed under which prize-money category the men’s 100m will fall at the Brussels final.
Victory in Brussels would make Ajayi the first Nigerian man to win a Diamond League crown and the second Nigerian athlete overall to do so, after Tobi Amusan.
