Ajayi Compares Prefontaine Classic Win to NCAA Experience

Nigerian record holder in the men’s 100m, Kayinsola Ajayi, says his big win at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic felt just like running at the NCAA Championships. He believes the pressure he faced in college helped him get ready for the professional level, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Fresh from winning his first NCAA Outdoor title, Ajayi lit up the men’s 100m at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic on Saturday. He powered to victory in 9.84 seconds, beating reigning world champion Oblique Seville, who finished in 9.89 seconds. This was in a wind reading of +0.1m/s at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

U.S. Olympian Christian Coleman came in third with a time of 9.95 seconds. He narrowly beat his fellow American, Kenneth Bednarek, who clocked in at 9.96 seconds.

This was another strong showing from the Nigerian sprint star. He followed up his recent men’s 100m title at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by taking down one of the toughest fields this season.

Even though Seville had a quick start, Ajayi powered past him during the acceleration phase. He took charge of the race around the 30m mark and then pulled away to win. His time of 9.84 seconds is now second only to Seville’s season-best of 9.82 seconds.

“It feels like the same thing to me. Like competing in the NCAA and the pressure in the NCAA. If I could overcome the pressure in the NCAA that means I can overcome any pressure at pro level, so it’s still the same thing to me, nothing different,” Ajayi told Diamond League after the race.

When asked how he plans to keep performing at this top level, the 20-year-old stressed the need to keep his work ethic strong.

“Consistency, practice and just stay healthy and just trust myself and trust my coach,” he said.

Ajayi’s performance also saw him match the Nigerian record of 9.84 seconds, a record he set in May when he broke Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old national mark at the NCAA East Regional Championships to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

He later won the NCAA title in June with a wind-assisted time of 9.72 seconds, showing he is one of the fastest men in the world.

Fasuba’s previous national record of 9.85 seconds was set at the Doha Grand Prix in May 2006 and was also the African record at that time. The current African record is held by Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who ran 9.77 seconds in Nairobi in September 2021.