Ajayi Takes 4th Place as Nathaniel Reaches 400m Hurdles Final

File photo: Kanyinsola Ajayi.

Nigerian sprinter Kanyinsola Ajayi finished fourth in the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He ended a great season with a run under 10 seconds. His fellow Nigerian, Ezekiel Nathaniel, made it to the final of the men’s 400m hurdles.

Ajayi clocked 9.93 seconds in the final. He came behind Kenneth Bednarek, who won with a time of 9.86 seconds.

Earlier, Ajayi qualified for the final by coming third in his semi-final. He finished that race in 10.00 seconds. Bednarek won that heat in 9.94 seconds, while Ronnie Baker also ran 10.00 seconds.

This result wraps up a fantastic season for the 21-year-old sprinter from Auburn University. In May, he broke Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old Nigerian 100m record. He ran 9.84 seconds at the NCAA East Regionals, becoming the national record holder and the world leader for the event at that time.

Ajayi won back-to-back Diamond League titles at the Prefontaine Classic and in London. He defeated reigning world champion Oblique Seville twice. He also won bronze in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a time of 9.90 seconds. This made him the first Nigerian male sprinter in 20 years to win a Commonwealth Games medal in that event. He added a second bronze medal in the men’s 4x100m relay at the same Games.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel finished second in heat two of the men’s 400m hurdles semi-final. He clocked 47.75 seconds, just behind Karsten Warholm, who won in 47.68 seconds. This performance secured his place in the final.

Both results contribute to a strong showing for Nigeria at the first World Athletics Ultimate Championships. Earlier in the competition, Tobi Amusan won silver in the women’s 100m hurdles.