Nigeria’s men’s 100 metres champion and Paris 2024 Olympics semifinalist, Konyinsola Ajayi, is ready to face a strong challenge for the title at the forthcoming 2025 national trials, which will be held from Friday to Sunday, August 3, at Yabatech, Lagos.
Ajayi won the title for the first time last year at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, with a time of 10.14 seconds , beating Alaba Akintola, who followed closely to take second in 10.16s, while 2023 champion, Usheoritse Itsekiri, claimed third in 10.22s.
This year, Ajayi will face the likes of Israel Okon, Fakorede Adekalu, Favour Ashe, Olaolu Olatunde and other contenders to defend his title.
Since winning the title last year, Ajayi has broken into the list of Nigerian athletes to have run a sub-10 seconds.
The 20-year-old entered the Nigerian elite list at the 2025 Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, clocking 9.96s to win the men’s 100 metres and launch his outdoor season in emphatic fashion.
He continued his sensational form earlier this month as he powered to a personal best-equalling 9.92seconds to win the men’s 100 metres at the Meeting International Sotteville-lès-Rouen in France.
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Bledman’s mark of 10.02 seconds stood for nine years until Ajayi lowered it with his smooth run aided by a legal +1.7 m/s tailwind.
Cameroonian veteran, Emmanuel Eseme, placed second in 10.04s while Senegal’s Mamadou Sarr followed in 10.10s.
The time places Ajayi among the world’s fastest men this year and ties him with Seun Ogunkoya and Udodi Onwuzurike for fourth place on Nigeria’s all-time list, behind only Soji Fasuba, Divine Oduduru, and Godson Oghenebrume.
The Auburn University star now holds two of the five fastest legal times in Nigerian sprint history, both at age 20, and has joined Davidson Ezinwa and Ogunkoya with four career sub-10s, the second most by any Nigerian.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
