Ajayi Celebrates Breaking Fasuba’s Record but Sees More Ahead

It feels great. This is something I’ve always aimed for, and I’m thankful it finally happened. In 2024, I wanted to run under 10 seconds, but that didn’t happen, so I remained patient and trusted the journey. Last season, I knew our training was different, and I believed something special was coming. Breaking the Nigerian record this year is a blessing, but I don’t see it as the end. It’s just another step because I still believe I can run faster and achieve more.

This year has been special for me. Winning the NCAA title was something I had chased for a long time, and breaking the national record made it even better. Everything is falling into place because of consistency, discipline, and the people around me. I’m thankful, but I know the biggest races are still ahead. These wins have only made me hungrier to keep improving.

I don’t think my mindset has changed much. I’ve always believed in hard work and trusting my coach. The wins don’t make me take it easy; they actually push me to work harder because others are improving too. We’ve kept building on every performance. Right now, I’m more focused on being consistent than just one good race.

My family has always stood by me and never stopped me from pursuing athletics. They believed in me even before the results started coming in. I know they are proud now, but winning medals for Nigeria at major events like the Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and the Olympics would make them even happier.

Besides my family’s support, my coach and others around me, one moment that inspired me was racing Enoch Adegoke at the Lagos Athletics Series in 2022. He had already made it to an Olympic final, so racing beside him was a big deal for me. Winning that race gave me the confidence that I belonged at that level. Two years later, I became an Olympian myself. Since then, my drive has been to prove to myself that I can compete with the best in the world.

Yes, because I have competed at the Olympics and the World Championships. Competing in the NCAA prepared me for the professional level. Winning Diamond League races against world-class sprinters shows that the work is paying off, but I no longer see it as a surprise. I line up believing I can beat anyone if I run my race well.

Let me be clear: the stare-down wasn’t for Seville; it was for Jordan Anthony, who came into my DMs and tried to downplay my achievement.

Those experiences motivate me because they showed me how close I am to the podium. At the Olympics and World Championships, I saw that the difference between winning a medal and missing out is very small. Instead of feeling down, I used those races as motivation. Going into the Commonwealth Games, my goal is to compete for a medal and show that Nigeria belongs among the best sprint nations.

First of all, I pray to stay healthy because without good health, none of this is possible. My focus is to keep improving every season, trust my coach, and keep putting in the work. LA 2028 is definitely one of my biggest goals, and by then I want to be competing for an Olympic medal. I don’t like to limit myself because I believe there’s still a lot more to come. I just want to stay healthy, keep working, and let the results speak for themselves.