Duro Ikhazuagbe
As the first batch of Team Nigeria athletes and officials storm Glasgow, Scotland today ahead of the official opening ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Thursday, former African record holder in the men’s 100m, Olusoji Fasuba, has tipped Kanyinsola Ajayi to become one of Africa’s all-time greatest sprinters.
Fasuba whose national 100m record of 9.85secs lasted for 20 years before it was broken this year by the American collegiate NCAA champion, told THISDAY yesterday that the pace at which Ajayi is progressing, the 21-year-old Nigerian sprinter is gradually turning into a phenomenon.
“Kanyinsola Ajayi’s progress has been exceptional. What stands him out is the consistency of his improvement. He has shown that he can compete with the very best in the world, and if he continues on this path, I believe he can become one of Africa’s all time great sprinters,” began the former African record holder now an officer of the British Royal Navy.
On his national record recently concerned to the archive, Fasuba congratulated the new Nigerian sprint king, stressing that he enjoyed it while it lasted for the 20 years no sprinter in the land came close to matching it.
“As for my records, I set both the African and Nigerian 100m records in May 2006. I was privileged to hold the African record for 15 years and the Nigerian record for 20 years.
“Those are achievements I will always cherish, but records are meant to be broken. I am genuinely delighted that another Nigerian has raised the standard,” he noted.
Fasuba however have a message for Kanyinsola Ajayi. “My message to Kanyinsola is simple. Do not stop here. Keep pushing. Breaking the Nigerian record is only one milestone. Now go after the African record and continue lowering your personal best. That is how legacies are built. Every step forward strengthens Nigerian athletics and inspires the next generation to dream even bigger.”
Fasuba whose 15-year-old daughter Annabelle has also taken to the track, following in the footsteps of her father and mother who were great Team Nigeria athletes before pursuing other careers outside track & field, is excited that after several years of only Nigerian ladies winning laurels while the men took back seats, Kanyinsola Ajayi and Samuel Ogazi have taken up the mantle to reverse the drift.
“Now the feats of Kanyisola and Samuel Ogazi have the potential to inspire a new generation of Nigerian male sprinters and quarter-milers after years in which our women have carried the nation’s sprinting success,” concludes Fasuba.
Just last weekend, Kanyisola Ajayi again beat Jamaica’s reigning World Championship star Oblique Seville in the London Leg of the 2016 Diamond League. The Nigerian lad had earlier beat Seville at the Prefontaine Classic in USA.
Despite initial fear that he may prefer running in the Diamond league to competing for Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games, Knayisola Ajayi is already in Team Nigeria’s camp in Scotland, waiting for the track &field events to begin on July 27.
The First batch of Team Nigeria athletes and officials will depart their pre-Commonwealth Games 2026 training camp in Aberdeen, Scotland for host city, Glasgow, today.
The second batch will move into the Games Village on Friday 24 July 2026, joining teammates already on ground for the opening days of competition.
The phased movement follows weeks of intensive training and acclimatization in Aberdeen, where Team Nigeria has fine-tuned preparations for one of the biggest sporting events on the Commonwealth calendar.