Nigeria’s sprint sensation, Kayinsola Ajayi, announced his arrival on the biggest stage of international athletics with a sensational victory in the men’s 100 metres at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday.
Making his Diamond League debut, the 21-year-old stormed to victory in an equalled Nigerian record time of 9.84 seconds, defeating a world class field that included Jamaica’s Oblique Seville and American sprint star Christian Coleman.
Seville finished second in 9.89 seconds, while former world champion Coleman settled for third in 9.95 seconds.
Ajayi’s stunning performance confirmed the rich vein of form that has made him one of the world’s fastest sprinters this season and reinforced Nigeria’s growing status as a force in global sprinting.
The Auburn University sprinter arrived in Eugene on the back of a breakthrough NCAA season in the United States.
Earlier in June, Ajayi became Nigeria’s fastest man in history after running a legal 9.84 seconds to erase Olusoji Fasuba’s long standing national record of 9.85 seconds, set in 2006.
He followed that up by winning the NCAA men’s 100 metres title in 9.72 seconds, although the performance was aided by an illegal tailwind.
Against a field packed with Olympic and World Championship medallists, Ajayi showed no signs of intimidation, producing another flawless race to equal his national record under legal wind conditions of +0.1m/s.
The victory immediately establishes him as a genuine contender on the Diamond League circuit ahead of the major championships later this year.
World record holder Tobi Amusan also produced another impressive performance, finishing second in the women’s 100 metres hurdles.
The Nigerian clocked 12.34 seconds to finish behind American Masai Russell, who won in 12.24 seconds, while Bahamian Devynne Charlton completed the podium in 12.41 seconds.
Although she missed out on victory, Amusan once again demonstrated the consistency that has defined her 2026 campaign.
The former world champion has already won Diamond League titles in Rabat and Paris this season while repeatedly posting world class times, including a season best of 12.28 seconds.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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