Nigerian sprinters Kayinsola Ajayi and Samuel Ogazi delivered a stunning showcase of speed and power at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, storming to NCAA titles in the men’s 100m and 400m and underlining Nigeria’s growing influence in collegiate athletics.

Ajayi, representing Auburn University, blazed to victory in the 100m with a wind-assisted 9.72 seconds, a performance that would have eclipsed the African record of 9.77 held by Ferdinand Omanyala. A tailwind of +2.2m/s, just above the legal limit, meant the time could not be ratified as a record, but it firmly stamped the 21-year-old as one of the world’s most dangerous sprinters.

The win marked Ajayi’s first NCAA outdoor crown, a remarkable turnaround after he finished fourth in the same event the previous year. In doing so, he became the first Nigerian to claim the NCAA men’s 100m title since Divine Oduduru in 2019, restoring the country’s presence at the pinnacle of collegiate sprinting.

Ajayi controlled the final with authority, separating from a loaded field over the last 40 metres. LSU’s Jaiden Reid chased him home in 9.82 seconds, while Arkansas’ Jelani Watkins took third. Ajayi had already signalled his form in the semi-finals, clocking 9.94 seconds into a -1.1m/s headwind, ahead of Reid, who equalled the Cayman Islands national record in 9.95.

While the 9.72 will not enter the record books, it ranks among the fastest 100m performances ever recorded under any conditions and confirms Ajayi as a major contender on the global stage this season.

If Ajayi’s run electrified the crowd, Ogazi’s 400m was historic. The Alabama quarter-miler successfully defended his NCAA title with a breathtaking 43.38 seconds, shattering the collegiate record of 43.61 set by American Michael Norman and rewriting both Nigerian and NCAA history.

Ogazi’s time propelled him to fourth on the world all-time list, behind Wayde van Niekerk, Michael Johnson and Butch Reynolds. The 20-year-old sliced a huge chunk off his previous best of 44.02 seconds, set earlier in the season, when he had already erased Innocent Egbunike’s long-standing Nigerian record of 44.17 from 1987.

There was further Nigerian success in the sprints as Ajayi’s Auburn teammate Israel Okon rebounded from a disappointing 100m, where he pulled up and finished ninth, to claim silver in the 200m. Okon clocked 19.99 seconds, his best finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and another sign of Nigeria’s deepening sprint talent in the American collegiate system.