Nigeria duo qualify for 100m semi-finals at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Kanyinsola Ajayi and Favour Ashe have advanced to the semi-finals of the men’s 100m competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Ajayi, 19, won heat 5 with a time of 10.02 seconds, breaking Davidson Ezinwa’s record for the fastest opening round time by a Nigerian at the Games.

He outran Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy, who finished second with 10.05 seconds, and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, who took third place with 10.06 seconds.

Ajayi’s performance brings him closer to the sub-10-second mark, boasting a lifetime best of 10.00 seconds.

Similarly, Ashe, also a student at Auburn University like Ajayi, finished fourth in his heat with a time of 10.16 seconds.

After waiting for confirmation as a non-automatic qualifier, Ashe secured his place in the semifinals.

The Nigerian duo will face stiff competition in the semi-finals.

Ajayi, drawn in heat 2, will compete against Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, South Africa’s Akani Simbine, and USA’s Kenneth Bednarek.

Ashe will contend with Noah Lyles, Oblique Seville, Louie Hinchliffe, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, and Benjamin Azamati of Ghana in his heat.