Ajayi runs 15th career sub-10s race in Switzerland

Nigerian sprint sensation, Kayinsola Ajayi...Photo Credit: Sports Day Online

Nigeria’s 100m record holder Kayinsola Ajayi continued his impressive season by winning the men’s 100m at the Galà dei Castelli meeting in Bellinzona, Switzerland, on Sunday, clocking 9.91 seconds and marking his 15th sub-10s race, The PUNCH reports.

Ajayi ran 9.91 seconds with a legal 0.2m/s tailwind to finish ahead of American Ronnie Baker, who clocked 9.94 seconds, while South Africa’s Akani Simbine was third in 9.95 seconds.

The victory marked Ajayi’s 15th career sub-10-second performance and his ninth legal sub-10-second clocking of the 2026 season.

His first sub-10 of the 2026 campaign came at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, in April, where he clocked 9.96 seconds (+1.9m/s) to win the men’s 100m and make an emphatic start to his outdoor season.

Since then, the 21-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough year, beginning with his Nigerian 100m record of 9.84 seconds at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round in the United States in May.

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Ajayi’s mark lowered Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old Nigerian record of 9.85 seconds.

He went on to win the NCAA outdoor 100m title and has since equalled his national record twice. He also secured two victories on the Diamond League circuit during the season.

Ajayi’s breakthrough continued at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he won bronze in the men’s 100m.

The Nigerian recently signed with Adidas, confirming that he will forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility at Auburn University after three seasons.

His latest victory in Bellinzona further underlined his rapid rise as one of Nigeria’s leading sprint prospects, with the season set to culminate at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September.

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