Team Nigeria’s Kanyisola Ajayi and Favour Ashe have both qualified for the men’s 100m semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ajayi clocked an impressive 10.02 seconds to finish first in the fifth heat, defeating Italy’s defending Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, who placed second with 10.05 seconds. Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu came in third with 10.06 seconds. Ajayi’s time was just shy of his personal best of 10.00 seconds, achieved earlier this year.
Favour Ashe finished fourth in the fourth heat with a time of 10.16 seconds, qualifying for the semifinals with one of the fastest times outside the automatic qualification bracket. Ashe faced tough competition, with Jamaica’s Oblique Seville winning the heat in 9.99 seconds, followed by Abdul Hakim Sani Brown of Japan and Thailand’s Puripol Boonson.
In the semifinal heats, Ajayi will compete against South Africa’s Akani Simbine, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, and Kenneth Bednareck of the USA for a place in the final. Ashe will face fierce competition from the current world champion, Noah Lyles of the USA, and the reigning African champion, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon.
By Ebubedike Ochu
