Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon Sunday lived up to expectations on their World Championships debut in Tokyo, storming into the semifinals of the men’s 100m with commanding performances at the National Stadium.
Ajayi delivered a blistering run, clocking a new Personal Best (PB) of 9.88s after easing off in the final meters. The time cements him as the third-fastest Nigerian sprinter of all time, while also extending his record of most sub-10s in a single season by a Nigerian — five in 2025. He now ties the national all-time record for the most career sub-10s.
The 22-year-old finished second in his heat behind South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, who ran a lifetime best of 9.87s, while Jamaica’s Oblique Sevile placed third in 9.93s after a sluggish start.
For Okon, it was a dream debut on the global stage. The 20-year-old displayed remarkable composure to win his heat in 10.04s, holding off Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.06s) and Italy’s reigning Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who clocked 10.20s at the very stadium where he made history four years ago.
Ajayi, who featured at last year’s Olympics, and Okon, making his first senior international outing, will now turn their focus to the semifinals as they look to extend Nigeria’s growing presence in world sprinting.
