Former African sprint king Olusoji Fasuba has congratulated Kanyinsola Ajayi after the youngster broke his long-standing Nigerian 100m record with a world-leading performance at the NCAA East Regional Championships.
Ajayi made history on Friday when he clocked 9.84 seconds to win his heat and qualify for the NCAA Championships, surpassing the previous national record of 9.85s that Fasuba set in Doha in 2006.
The performance ended a Nigerian record that had stood for 20 years and cemented Ajayi’s status as the fastest Nigerian man in history.
Rather than lament the loss of a record he held for two decades, Fasuba welcomed the achievement and described it as a sign of progress for Nigerian athletics.
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“Not every day does one wake up to see a long-standing record broken,” Fasuba wrote on Facebook.
“Twenty years ago, in Doha, I ran 9.85s, a performance that stood as the Nigerian record for two decades and also stood as the African record for 15 years. To have held those records for that length of time was a great honour and one of the proudest moments of my career.”
Fasuba revealed that he had predicted Ajayi’s rise two years ago and always believed the young sprinter possessed the talent to rewrite Nigerian sprint history.
“Two years ago, I predicted that this young talent would be one of the athletes capable of breaking my Nigerian 100m record, and today he has done exactly that.
“Congratulations, Kanyinsola Ajayi.”
The former record holder said he was particularly encouraged by what Ajayi’s achievement means for the future of Nigerian men’s sprinting.
“The joy in my heart knows no bounds because this is the kind of improvement I have been clamouring for from Nigerian men’s sprinting. Records are not meant to stand forever. They are meant to inspire the next generation to dream bigger, work harder and push the boundaries even further.”
Ajayi’s 9.84s currently stands as the fastest time in the world this year and has renewed hopes that Nigeria could once again challenge for the African record.
Fasuba believes that target is now within reach.
“What excites me most is not just the record itself, but what it represents. It shows that Nigerian sprinting is progressing and that our athletes can compete with the very best in the world.
“The possibility of Nigeria taking back the African record is now realistic once again, and Kanyinsola has shown that he has the talent to chase that target.”
The African record currently stands at 9.77 seconds, set by Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala in 2021.
As Nigeria celebrates a new national record holder, Fasuba urged athletics stakeholders to continue investing in young talents capable of following in Ajayi’s footsteps.
“Strong athletics nations never stop producing champions.
“Congratulations once again, Kanyinsola. Enjoy this moment. You have made Nigeria proud, and I look forward to seeing how much further you can take it.”
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