Nigeria’s sprint sensation Kanyinsola Ajayi continued his meteoric rise on Monday evening, storming to a meet record-equalling 9.92 seconds to win the men’s 100m at the Meeting International Sotteville-lès-Rouen in France.
Competing at the Stade Jean Adret, the 20-year-old exploded from lane five with a sharp reaction time of 0.156s, comfortably beating a strong field that included multiple sub-10 second sprinters. His performance erased the previous meeting record of 10.02s set by Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman in 2015, with a legal tailwind of +1.7 m/s aiding the smooth sprint.
Ajayi’s time equals his personal best, first set just last month at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, where he placed fourth in a fiercely competitive final. But Monday’s dominant win further affirmed his consistency and credentials as one of the world’s emerging sprint stars.
Podium and Full Results
🥇 Kanyinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) – 9.92s (MR, =PB) 🥈 Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) – 10.04s 🥉 Mamadou Sarr (Senegal) – 10.10s 4th: Eugene Amo-Dadzie (Great Britain) – 10.16s 5th: Rohan Browning (Australia) – 10.16s 6th: Jerome Blake (Canada) – 10.23s 7th: Tsebo Matsoso (South Africa) – 10.32s 8th: Jimmy Vicaut (France) – 10.36s
Consistency and Rising Legacy
Ajayi’s back-to-back sub-10s firmly place him in elite territory. His 9.92s in France ties him for fourth on Nigeria’s all-time list alongside Seun Ogunkoya and Udodi Onwuzurike, trailing only Olusoji Fasuba (9.85s), Divine Oduduru (9.86s), and Godson Oghenebrume (9.90s).
The Auburn University standout now holds two of the five fastest legal 100m times ever recorded by a Nigerian — both achieved at the age of 20. He has also joined an exclusive club with four career sub-10 second runs, equalling Davidson Ezinwa and trailing only Ogunkoya among Nigerians.
A Breakout Season for the Ages
Ajayi’s 2025 campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary:
June: Won the Nigerian national 100m title Paris Olympics: Reached the 100m semi-finals, and featured in Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team African Championships (Douala): Narrowly missed a medal in the 100m (4th), but anchored Nigeria to silver in the relay March: Ran 6.48s for 60m at the NCAA Indoor Championships, followed by 6.52s in a stacked final at Virginia Beach
From indoors to the global stage, Ajayi has shown remarkable range, maturity, and resilience.
What’s Next?
With the World Athletics Championships later this year and further Diamond League opportunities ahead, Ajayi is now firmly in the conversation as one of Africa’s top medal prospects. His blend of power, poise, and precision is setting the stage for a long and impactful international career.