Kanyinsola Ajayi Set for Diamond League Debut Against World’s Fastest Men in Eugene
Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi, the national 100m record holder and second fastest man in 2026, will headline a star-studded field at the Prefontaine Classic, the 9th leg of the Wanda Diamond League, alongside Jamaica’s Seville Oblique, the world’s fastest man so far this year.
The event, set for Hayward Field, will feature seven of the world’s top ten sprinters.
For Ajayi, it marks his Diamond League debut on the same track where he captured his first NCAA 100m outdoor crown earlier this month. The Nigerian, who boasts a lifetime best of 9.84 seconds and a wind-assisted 9.72 to win that NCAA title, will face a formidable lineup.
Among his rivals are two-time Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek, 2024 Diamond League final champion Ackeem Blake, Trayvon Bromell, the sixth fastest man in history with 9.76, and Christian Coleman, a three-time Prefontaine 100m winner.
Also in contention are Lachlan Kennedy, the 2026 Australian champion, and South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, a World Championships finalist in 2025.
The Prefontaine Classic promises to be one of the most competitive sprint showdowns of the season, with Ajayi’s debut adding extra intrigue as Nigeria’s rising star tests himself against the very best in the world.
