Ajayi sole Nigerian finalist as sprinters falter in 100m semis
Nigeria’s sprint hopes now rest on Kanyinsola Ajayi, who emerged as the country’s only finalist in the men’s 100m at the Commonwealth Games after five other sprinters were eliminated.
Nigeria’s hopes of winning a sprint medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games now rest on Kanyinsola Ajayi after he emerged as the country’s only finalist from a team of six athletes who competed in the men’s and women’s 100m semi-finals on Tuesday in Glasgow. Ajayi produced a composed performance to win the second men’s semi-final in 9.94 seconds despite rainy conditions at Scotstoun Stadium, booking an automatic place in the final. He finished ahead of Wales’ Jeremiah Azu (10.00 seconds) and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (10.06 seconds).
The outcome leaves Ajayi carrying the nation’s sprint hopes when the men’s 100m final takes place later on Tuesday. The 20-year-old has enjoyed an outstanding 2026 season, establishing himself as one of Africa’s fastest sprinters with a wind-assisted 9.84 seconds and several sub-10-second performances.
In the men’s event, Favour Ashe missed a place in the final after finishing fifth in the opening semi-final in 10.07 seconds. Nicholas Fakorede finished fourth in the third semi-final in 10.06 seconds, missing qualification behind South Africa’s Gift Leotlela and Australia’s Eddie Nketia. Nigeria’s challenge also ended in the women’s event, with Rosemary Chukwuma, Blessing Ogundiran and Miracle Oluebube Ezechukwu all failing to secure places in the final.
Ajayi will line up against a strong field that includes Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy, South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati, Wales’ Jeremiah Azu and Australia’s Eddie Nketia. With five Nigerian athletes already through to the 400m semi-finals, Team Nigeria will be hoping to add athletics medals to its impressive haul before the Games conclude.
This echoes the 2014 Commonwealth Games, when Nigeria’s sprinters also faced a mixed performance. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a nation pinning its sprint hopes on one athlete.
The winners: Kanyinsola Ajayi, who has a chance to win a medal; and Team Nigeria, which still has medal opportunities in other events. The losers: the five sprinters who failed to qualify; and the Nigerian public, who had high expectations.
Bottom Line: Ajayi is Nigeria’s last man standing in the 100m. Five others fell short. The final awaits. The question is whether he can deliver a medal or join the list of near-misses.