Image of Nigerian athlete Kanyinsola Ajayi. Photo credit: Athletic Heat

Nigerian sprinter Konyinsola Ajayi marked his World Championships debut with a historic appearance in the men’s 100m final, finishing sixth on Sunday night as Jamaica’s Oblique Seville stormed to victory in Tokyo with a personal best of 9.77 seconds.

The race, one of the most anticipated events of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, ended with Jamaica producing a one-two finish. Kishane Thompson secured silver in 9.82s, while American star and former world champion Noah Lyles settled for bronze with a season’s best of 9.89s. The contest also saw drama when Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo was disqualified for a false start, adding tension to an already electric final.

Ajayi, who turned 21 on the day of the final, ran strongly from the blocks despite being flanked by two of the event’s biggest names — African record holder Akani Simbine and Lyles. He crossed the line in 10.00s, narrowly outside the medals but ahead of Simbine, who finished behind him. USA’s Kenneth Bednarek and South Africa’s Gift Leotlela claimed fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

Earlier in the semi-finals, Ajayi had underlined his growing potential by posting 9.93s, his sixth career sub-10s performance, finishing second behind Lyles, who ran 9.92s. The performance secured his place in the final, making him the first Nigerian sprinter to reach the men’s 100m final at the World Championships in 18 years. The last was Olusoji Fasuba, who placed fourth in Osaka in 2007.

Ajayi’s compatriot, Israel Okon, narrowly missed out on the final after clocking 10.14s for seventh place in his semi-final. Despite his exit, Okon had impressed earlier in the heats with a strong 10.04s run that saw him finish ahead of Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Italy’s Lamont Jacobs, the former Olympic champion.

Ajayi had also signalled his form in Saturday’s heats by running a personal best of 9.88s, a time that established him as Nigeria’s third fastest man in history. His Tokyo campaign, though short of a medal, has been hailed as a major breakthrough for Nigerian sprinting, rekindling hopes of a resurgence on the global stage.