Olamide Abe

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Kanyinsola Ajayi made a powerful statement at the 2025 Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, clocking 9.96s (+1.9 m/s) to win the men’s 100 metres and launch his outdoor season in emphatic fashion, The PUNCH reports.

The 20-year-old Nigerian sprinter not only set a new personal best but also delivered the fastest performance of his career on his season debut, becoming the second-fastest man in the world in 2025 so far.

Ajayi’s winning time is only bettered this season by South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who ran 9.90s (-1.4 m/s) in Gaborone on April 12 and tied with Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, who also posted 9.96s (+1.7 m/s) in Kingston on the same day.

The Nigerian now leads an elite group that includes Courtney Lindsey (USA) at 9.97s, Bayanda Walaza (RSA) at 9.99s, and Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN) with 10.00s.

The field in Gainesville featured some of the brightest collegiate and under-23 talents from the United States.

Ajayi finished ahead of LSU’s Jelani Watkins (10.03s), T’Mars McCallum (10.04s), and Kalen Walker (10.06s), all of whom are considered rising stars in American sprinting.

The depth of the race added weight to Ajayi’s victory, with all eight finalists posting times under 10.20s. Sam Blaskowski (10.09s), Myles Thomas (10.13s), Xavier Butler (10.15s), and Deron Dudley (10.17s) rounded out a high-quality final.

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Ajayi’s performance placed him among the best Nigerian sprinters in history.

He is now the 14th Nigerian man to break the 10-second barrier and becomes the 10th fastest Nigerian ever, tied with Raymond Ekevwo who also clocked 9.96s (+1.6 m/s) in 2019. The elite list he joined includes Olusoji Fasuba, Divine Oduduru, Seun Ogunkoya, Davidson Ezinwa, and Favour Ashe.

In the Nigeria’s all-time 100m rankings he joined, Fasuba leads with the national record of 9.85s (Doha 2006), followed by Oduduru’s 9.86s (Austin 2019), and Godson Brume’s 9.90s (Austin 2023). Ajayi’s sub-10 performance, especially as a season opener, suggests potential for deeper cuts into this list as the season progresses.

His result score of 1220 under World Athletics’ performance scoring system speculates the quality of the mark given the wind reading and competitive field as the score matches that of Blake’s 9.96s and surpasses the values given to other sub-10 marks this season. Among under-21 athletes globally in 2025, Ajayi’s time is currently the fastest.

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