NIGERIA’S AJAYI, OGAZI SHINE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
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By: Fasasi Hammad
Nigerian sprinters Kayinsola Ajayi and Samuel Ogazi delivered outstanding performances to capture the men’s 100m and 400m titles respectively at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
Competing for Auburn University, Ajayi powered to victory in the men’s 100m final with a wind-assisted time of 9.72 seconds. Although the mark was faster than the African record of 9.77 seconds held by Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, the +2.2m/s tailwind exceeded the allowable limit, making the performance ineligible for record recognition.
The 21-year-old secured his maiden NCAA outdoor title after finishing fourth last year and became the first Nigerian since Divine Oduduru in 2019 to win the NCAA men’s 100m crown.
Ajayi dominated the final stretch of the race, finishing ahead of LSU’s Jaiden Reid, who clocked 9.82 seconds, while Arkansas’ Jelani Watkins came third. He had earlier won his semi-final in 9.94 seconds despite a slow start.
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While the time will not count as an official record, Ajayi’s performance ranks among the fastest ever achieved under any conditions and further highlights his growing status among the world’s elite sprinters.
In the men’s 400m, Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi successfully defended his NCAA title with a sensational run of 43.38 seconds, setting both a Nigerian and NCAA record. The mark eclipsed the previous collegiate record of 43.61 seconds established by American Michael Norman in 2018.
Ogazi’s performance also moved him to fourth on the all-time global rankings behind South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk and Americans Michael Johnson and Butch Reynolds.
The 20-year-old improved significantly on his previous personal best of 44.02 seconds, which he recorded in May. That earlier mark had already broken Innocent Egbunike’s Nigerian record of 44.17 seconds, which had stood since 1987.
Meanwhile, Auburn’s Israel Okon rebounded from disappointment in the 100m final, where he finished ninth after pulling up late, to claim second place in the men’s 200m with a personal-best time of 19.99 seconds, his highest finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
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