Kayinsola Ajayi
Nigeria kicked off the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with a stellar performance, as sprinters Kayinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon Sunday secured spots in the men’s 100m semifinals.
Making his championship debut, 21-year-old Ajayi ran a personal best of 9.88 seconds, finishing second in his heat behind South Africa’s Gift Leotlela (9.87s) and ahead of Jamaica’s Oblique Seville (9.93s).
“This 9.88s is a milestone for me,” Ajayi said, noting that his time ranks him as Nigeria’s third-fastest sprinter ever, trailing only Olusoji Fasuba (9.85s) and Divine Oduduru (9.86s).
Ajayi’s fifth sub-10-second run this season ties the national record for the most in a career.
In a separate heat, debutant Israel Okon Sunday clinched victory with a time of 10.04 seconds, outpacing Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.06s) and Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs (10.20s).
“Winning my heat feels incredible, and I’m ready for the semis,” Okon said.
Ajayi will compete in Semifinal 1 against heavyweights like Noah Lyles, Akani Simbine, Ackeem Blake, and Jacobs, while Okon faces Seville, Letsile Tebogo, Leotlela, and others in Semifinal 3.
In the field events, Nigeria’s shot put star Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finished fifth in the final with a throw of 21.52m, having qualified with a mark of 20.83m. “I gave it my all, but there’s more to come,” Enekwechi reflected.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigeria will continue competing on Day 2 of the championships, which run through September 21 in Tokyo.
