In a remarkable Olympic debut, Nigeria’s athlete Kanyinsola Ajayi has advanced to the semifinals of the men’s 100m event, winning heat 5 with a time of 10.02 seconds, -0.3.
This stellar performance broke Davidson Ezinwa’s long-standing record for the fastest opening round time by a Nigerian at the Games, previously set at 10.03 seconds.
Ajayi, at just 19 years old, outpaced Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy, who clocked 10.05 seconds, and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, who finished in 10.06 seconds.
Ajayi’s lifetime best of 10.00 seconds puts him on the verge of achieving the coveted sub-10 second mark.
Another Nigerian sprinter, Favour Ashe, also a student at Auburn University in the USA like Ajayi, finished fourth in his heat with a time of 10.16 seconds.
After a tense wait for confirmation as a non-automatic qualifier, Ashe also secured a spot in Sunday’s semifinal.
In other heats, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville showcased his speed by winning heat 4 with a time of 9.99 seconds.
Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe was the first athlete to dip below 10 seconds in this year’s competition, clocking 9.98 seconds to win heat 3.
Despite an unscripted performance, Noah Lyles of the USA progressed to the semifinals, finishing second in his heat behind Hinchliffe.
The semifinals promise to be star-studded.
The Nigerian duo of Ajayi and Ashe will join elite athletes such as South Africa’s Akani Simbine and the USA’s Kenny Bednarek, who won their respective heats.
At the last Olympics in Tokyo, Nigeria’s Enoch Adegoke made history by reaching the 100m final, finishing second in his semifinal with a time of 10.00 seconds.
It was the first time in 25 years that a male Nigerian athlete reached the 100m final at the Olympic Games.
In the upcoming semifinal races, Ajayi and Ashe will face formidable opponents. Ajayi, drawn in heat 2, will compete against a talented field including Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, Akani Simbine of South Africa, and Kenneth Bednarek of the USA.
Ashe’s heat is equally challenging, featuring Noah Lyles of the USA, Oblique Seville of Jamaica, Louie Hinchliffe of Great Britain, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, and Benjamin Azamati of Ghana.
As Ajayi and Ashe prepare for Sunday’s semifinals, there is hope that they will emulate Adegoke’s achievement by reaching the final and potentially securing a podium finish.
Both Nigerian athletes will need exceptional performances to advance to the final round.
