Kanyinsola Ajayi has secured a spot in the men’s 100m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, becoming the first Nigerian to do so since Olusoji Fasuba in 2007.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ajayi placed second in Heat 1 of the semi-finals on Sunday, clocking 9.93 seconds to earn one of the two automatic qualification slots. The race marked his sixth career sub-10-second run, achieved fittingly on his birthday.
The 21-year-old finished just 0.01 seconds behind Noah Lyles of the United States, the reigning Olympic champion, who won the heat. His time ranked fifth overall among the semi-finalists.
Ajayi, an Ikorodu native and recently dethroned national champion, will line up in Monday’s final against top-ranked sprinter Kishane Thompson, as well as three other Africans; Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Gift Leotlela.
Meanwhile, Israel Okon, another Nigerian competitor in the 100m, could not progress after placing seventh in Heat 3 with a time of 10.14 seconds.
