Ajayi, Ogazi win men’s titles at national collegiate championship in US

The 21-year-old, representing Auburn University, becomes only the second Nigerian to win the American title at the event after Divine Oduduru in 2018.

Ajayi crossed the finish line at 9.72 seconds, which would have broken the African record held by Ferdinand Omanyala, but a tailwind of +2.2 m/s rendered the time ineligible for record.

The performance earned Ajayi a place as the joint-sixth with the legendary Asafa Powell on the list of the world’s fastest sprinters under all conditions — legal wind or wind-aided. Only Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Yohan Blake, Obadele Thompson and Andre De Grasse have run faster.

In May, Ajayi also became the fastest Nigerian sprinter after breaking the Nigerian 100m record, which was set by Olusoji Fasuba in 2006.

In the men’s 400m, Samuel Ogazi defended his NCAA title with a 43.38-second finish to break the collegiate record set by Michael Norman of the US in 2018.

Ogazi, representing Alabama, is now the fourth fastest quarter-miler ever, only behind Wayde van Niekerk, Michael Johnson and Butch Reynolds.