Ajayi Set to Defend National 100m Title Against Fierce Competition

Reigning Nigerian men’s 100m champion and Paris 2024 Olympic semifinalist, Konyinsola Ajayi, is set to defend his crown at the 2025 National Athletics Trials, scheduled to hold from Friday to Sunday, August 3, at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Sport360NG reports.

Ajayi, who claimed the national title for the first time in 2024 with a 10.14s finish in Benin City, will return to the track to battle a strong field, including Israel Okon, Fakorede Adekalu, Favour Ashe, and Olaolu Olatunde, among others. Last year, he edged out Alaba Akintola (10.16s) and 2023 champion Usheoritse Itsekiri (10.22s) to clinch gold.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s showdown, Ajayi expressed his enthusiasm for what promises to be a tightly contested race.

“I’m really looking forward to it. This season has seen a lot of athletes dip under 10.15 seconds, so it’s shaping up to be a very competitive race,” Ajayi said.

Since winning the national title, the 20-year-old has emerged as one of Nigeria’s premier sprinters, joining the elite group of sub-10 second runners. He opened his outdoor season in spectacular fashion by clocking 9.96s (with a +1.9 m/s wind reading) to win the 100m at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida.

Earlier this month, he equalled his personal best of 9.92s at the Meeting International Sotteville-lès-Rouen in France, finishing ahead of Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme (10.04s) and Senegal’s Mamadou Sarr (10.10s). Ajayi’s performance erased a long-standing meet record of 10.02s and came with a legal wind assistance of +1.7 m/s.

The Auburn University standout now ranks among the fastest sprinters globally in 2025 and is tied for fourth on Nigeria’s all-time list with Seun Ogunkoya and Udodi Onwuzurike. Only Olusoji Fasuba (9.85s), Divine Oduduru (9.86s), and Godson Oghenebrume (9.90s) have run faster.

Remarkably, Ajayi has already recorded four career sub-10s, matching the tally of Nigerian sprint legends like Davidson Ezinwa and Ogunkoya, and holds two of the five fastest legal times ever by a Nigerian, all achieved before turning 21.