Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi advanced to the men’s 100m semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning heat 5 in 10.02 seconds.
This performance broke Davidson Ezinwa’s record for the fastest opening round time by a Nigerian at the Games (10.03 seconds).
Ajayi, 19, outran Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu.
Another Nigerian, Favour Ashe, a student at Auburn University, finished fourth in his heat with 10.16 seconds and advanced as a non-automatic qualifier.
In other heats, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won in 9.99 seconds, while Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe clocked 9.98 seconds. Noah Lyles also progressed to the semifinals.
Ajayi and Ashe will compete alongside top athletes like South Africa’s Akani Simbine and USA’s Kenny Bednarek in their next heat as they aim to match Enoch Adegoke’s 2021 feat of reaching the final.
Both need exceptional performances to secure a spot in the final.
