Nigerian sprinter Kanyinsola Ajayi ended his amazing first season as a pro by taking third place in the men’s 100m at the Diamond League final in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Ajayi finished the race in 9.97 seconds. He came behind Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who won in 9.90 seconds, and Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, who finished second in 9.93 seconds.
At just 21 years old, Ajayi made history as the first Nigerian to finish on the podium in the men’s 100m at a Diamond League final. He earned a cash prize of 10,000 dollars for his third-place finish.
Ajayi’s performance in Brussels capped off a breakthrough season. Earlier in the year, he set a personal best of 9.84 seconds, breaking Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old Nigerian record in the men’s 100m.
He also won a bronze medal in the same event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland. Besides that, he took the National Collegiate Athletic Association title in both the men’s 60m indoor and 100m outdoor events. He clinched the NCAA 100m title with a wind-aided time of 9.72 seconds.
Ajayi plans to return to the United States to continue his studies. He will also start preparing for the 2027 season.
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