Ajayi, who turned 21 on Sunday, delivered a remarkable performance in the semi-finals, clocking 9.93 seconds, the sixth sub-10-second race of his career to finish second behind Olympic champion Noah Lyles (9.92s). South Africa’s Akani Simbine followed closely in third with a time of 9.96s.

This achievement makes Ajayi the first Nigerian sprinter in 18 years to reach the 100m final at the World Championships. The last to do so was Olusoji Fasuba, who placed fourth at the 2007 Championships in Osaka and remains Nigeria’s national record holder.

Ajayi now turns his attention to the final, where he hopes to secure a historic medal for Nigeria. The men’s 100m final is scheduled to take place today, Sunday, at 2:20 PM local time in Tokyo.

Source: Punch