AFCON 2025
Kanyinsola Ajayi claimed bronze in the men’s 100m final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, clocking 9.90 seconds in a rain-soaked showdown in Glasgow. The result marks a landmark moment for Nigerian sprinting at the Games. He becomes the first Nigerian sprinter to win a medal at the 100m men’s event in 20 years, since Olusoji Fasubi won silver in Melbourne.
Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme took gold in a Commonwealth Games record of 9.83 seconds, the fastest time ever run at the event. Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy secured silver in an Australian record of 9.85 seconds.
Ajayi’s bronze made him the only man besides Eseme, Kennedy, and fourth-placed Gift Leotlela of South Africa (9.91) to dip under 10 seconds in the final. Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala failed to reach the podium, later admitting the rain didn’t suit him.
The Nigerian had booked his final spot with a commanding semi-final win in 9.94 seconds, emerging as the country’s sole finalist across both the men’s and women’s 100m events.
Ajayi entered the Games in career-best form, having equalled his national record of 9.84 seconds twice this season while beating reigning world champion Oblique Seville on both occasions.
While gold eluded him, the bronze ends a long wait for a Nigerian men’s 100m medal at the Commonwealth Games and cements Ajayi’s status as one of the sport’s brightest young stars.
