Kayinsola Ajayi Crowned World’s Fastest Man in 2026 With Record-Breaking 9.84s Sprint

Nigerian sprinter Kanyinsola Ajayi has been officially crowned the world’s fastest man in 2026 after blistering to a stunning 9.84 seconds in the men’s 100m at the NCAA East Regionals in the United States.

The 21-year-old Auburn University athlete produced the performance of his life in one of the quarter-final heats, which moved him to the top of the global rankings for the season.

His historic run also shattered the long-standing Nigerian national record of 9.85 seconds set by Olusoji Fasuba in Doha in 2006, ending a 20-year reign.

Speaking after the race, an elated Ajayi admitted the achievement was the realization of a long-held ambition. “I feel good smashing the record and running a world lead. It’s a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming about this day, to become Nigeria’s fastest man,” he said.

When asked about the secret behind his stunning form, Ajayi kept it simple. “There is no secret. I know I am in good shape. I listen to my coach’s instructions and I just execute them,” he explained. “My coach told me what to do. I knew I was in good shape, so I just had to come here and execute,” he added in another interview.

The former record holder, Olusoji Fasuba, was quick to congratulate his successor, expressing delight that the record was finally broken. “Not every day does one wake up to see a long-standing record broken,” Fasuba wrote on Facebook. “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”.

With this performance, Ajayi ranks as the second-fastest collegiate sprinter in United States history, sitting just 0.02 seconds behind Christian Coleman’s NCAA record of 9.82 seconds.