Ajayi and Ogazi Triumph at 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships

At the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championship held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Nigerian athletes Kayinsola Ajayi and Samuel Ogazi achieved remarkable success. Ajayi claimed victory in the men's 100m with a time of 9.72 seconds, breaking the previous African record of 9.77 seconds held by Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala.

Although the time was aided by a tailwind of 2.2m/s, it ranks among the fastest performances ever. This victory marks Ajayi's first NCAA outdoor title, making him the first Nigerian to win the NCAA men's 100m title since Divine Oduduru in 2019.

Samuel Ogazi successfully defended his NCAA title in the men's 400m, setting a new collegiate record of 43.38 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 43.61 seconds set by American Michael Norman in 2018. Ogazi's performance places him fourth on the world list and breaks the long-standing Nigerian record of 44.17 seconds set by Innoc Egbunik in August 1987.