Africa-Press – Mozambique. Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon have stormed into the semifinals of the men’s 100 meters at the World Championships in Tokyo, marking a historic debut on the global stage.
Ajayi was the standout performer, blazing to a new personal best of 9.88 seconds to finish second in his heat behind South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, who clocked 9.87 seconds. The 23-year-old’s performance not only makes him the third-fastest Nigerian sprinter of all time, but also cements his place as the record-holder for the most sub-10 second runs by a Nigerian in a single season—five in total this year. That tally also ties him atop the Nigerian all-time list for the most sub-10s in a career.
Israel Okon, competing in his first senior global event, showed nerves of steel as he dominated his heat with a composed run of 10.04 seconds. He finished ahead of Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (10.06s) and Italy’s Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs (10.20s), who had written his name into history at the same Tokyo track four years ago.
The Nigerian duo now head confidently into the semifinals, carrying the hopes of a nation and underlining the country’s growing sprinting pedigree on the world stage.
For More News And Analysis About Mozambique Follow Africa-Press
