Athletics: Ajayi Set For High-Stakes Showdown In Budapest

Athletics: Ajayi Set For High-Stakes Showdown In Budapest

Sampson Adedeji

Nigeria’s sprint star Kanyinsola Ajayi will face the ultimate test when he lines up against Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, the world’s fastest man this season, in a headline men’s 100m clash at the Gyulai István Memorial Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix on Tuesday, August 12, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Ajayi, enjoying a breakthrough year on the global stage, will contest one of the most competitive fields ever assembled for the event.

Thompson leads the World Athletics rankings after blazing to 9.75s this year the fastest time recorded in the past decade.

The Nigerian speedster has been in electric form himself, notching four sub-10-second runs in just four months.

He matched his personal best of 9.92s in July at the Meeting International Sotteville-lès-Rouen in France, building on a 9.96s victory at the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida earlier in the season.

Ajayi, the reigning Nigerian champion, reached the semi-finals of the men’s 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympics and currently sits 13th on the global rankings.

His performances have already secured him a spot at the World Championships in Tokyo this September, where he will aim to cement his status among sprinting’s elite.

Tuesday’s Budapest showdown will be another major test and perhaps another statement performance in what has already been a remarkable season for the rising Nigerian star.