By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Kanyinsola Ajayi delivered a standout performance on Monday, securing the men’s 100m crown at the Meeting International Sotteville-lès-Rouen in France with a personal best time of 9.92 seconds.
The 22-year-old Nigerian athlete raced from lane 5 at Stade Jean Adret, registering a swift reaction time of 0.156 seconds. He outran a competitive field, which included five runners who have all broken the 10-second barrier.
Ajayi’s remarkable win shattered the previous meet record of 10.02 seconds, set by Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman in 2015. Bledman’s mark had stood for nearly nine years before Ajayi surpassed it, aided by a legal tailwind of +1.7 m/s.
In the race, Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme claimed second place with a time of 10.04 seconds, while Senegal’s Sarr rounded out the top three with 10.10 seconds.
Ajayi’s achievement places him among the world’s fastest sprinters of the year, and ties him for fourth on Nigeria’s all-time 100m rankings alongside Seun Ogunkoya and Udodi Onwuzurike. They trail only Soji Fasuba (9.85s), Divine Oduduru (9.86s), and Godson Oghenebrume (9.90s).
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