Nigerian sprinters Kayinsola Ajayi and Favour Ashe fell short of securing spots in the men’s 100m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Sunday, with both finishing sixth in their respective semi-final races, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
After advancing from the heats on Saturday, expectations were high at the Stade de France as the two athletes aimed to continue Nigeria’s success in the event, following Enoch Adegoke’s finals appearance in Tokyo 2020.
Ashe, who qualified for the semi-finals as the last non-automatic qualifier, had a strong start but couldn’t maintain his pace. Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won the first semi-final with a personal best of 9.81s, while world champion Noah Lyles finished second in 9.83s.
Ajayi, the 19-year-old Nigerian who impressed in his heat on Saturday, clocked 10.16s in the second semi-final, which was insufficient for a finals berth. South Africa’s Akani Simbine won this semi-final with a time of 9.87s, and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo secured the second automatic spot in 9.91s. Reigning Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, whom Ajayi had beaten in the heats, finished third with a season’s best 9.92s but did not qualify automatically.
Ajayi, the newly-crowned Nigerian men’s 100m champion, had previously set a new personal best of 10.00s at the Luzern Athletics Meet in July. In his debut NCAA season, Ajayi achieved notable successes, including winning the SEC 60m title and placing third at the NCAA Championships.
