21-Year-Old Kanyinsola Ajayi Beats World Champion to Win 100m at 2026 Prefontaine Classic

Nigerian sprinter Kanyinsola Ajayi stunned the athletics world on Saturday 4 July 2026, winning the men’s 100m at the prestigious Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The 21-year-old collegiate breakout star clocked a blistering 9.84 seconds to defeat reigning world champion Oblique Seville, who took second place in 9.89 seconds.Former world champion Christian Coleman finished third in 9.95 seconds, just ahead of Kenneth Bednarek in 9.96 seconds.

The result came on Ajayi’s Diamond League debut, and his winning time of 9.84 seconds is second only to Seville’s season-best 9.82 seconds among the pair this year. Ajayi’s winning time also equalled the Nigerian record of 9.84 seconds that he first set in May at the NCAA East Regional Championships, when he eclipsed Olusoji Fasuba’s long-standing national record of 9.85 seconds that had stood since the Doha Grand Prix in 2006.

Despite Seville making the better start from the blocks, Ajayi powered past the Jamaican during the acceleration phase, taking the lead outright at the 30-metre mark and never looking back. Speaking afterwards, Ajayi told FloTrack: “Equalling the national record again means a lot. That means I can do better and I feel great about that.” He was equally relaxed about making the step up from college athletics to the professional circuit. “It feels like the same thing to me. Competing in the NCAA and the pressure in the NCAA — if I could overcome the pressure in the NCAA, that means I can overcome any pressure at pro level, so it’s still the same thing to me, nothing different,” he said.

The 21-year-old, who hails from Ikorodu and attends Auburn University in the United States, has had a remarkable season. He won the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships over 60 metres and the 100 metres at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming the second Nigerian to win the NCAA 100m title after Divine Oduduru in 2018. The Prefontaine Classic victory is simply the latest statement in what is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for Nigerian sprinting.

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