CWG: Ajayi Wins Bronze in Men’s 100m, Takes Nigeria’s Medal Tally to 11

Kayinsola Ajayi won the bronze medal in the men’s 100 metres final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday, increasing Nigeria’s medal tally to 11.

The 21-year-old sprinter finished third in a time of 9.90 seconds after falling short against Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme and Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy in a thrilling race at the Scotstoun Stadium.

Eseme overcame a slow start to storm to victory in a new Commonwealth Games record time of 9.83 seconds, while Kennedy claimed silver after crossing the line in 9.85 seconds.

Ajayi had entered the competition as one of the favourites following an impressive season that saw him record victories over reigning world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica. However, heavy rainfall during the final appeared to affect conditions, with the Nigerian unable to produce his usual explosive finish.

For much of the race, Ajayi remained level with Kennedy and looked set for a silver medal before Eseme surged past both athletes in the closing stages to secure gold.

The Cameroonian became the third consecutive African athlete to win the Commonwealth Games men’s 100 metres title, following victories by South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala in previous editions.

Despite missing out on gold, Ajayi etched his name into Nigeria’s athletics history by becoming only the fourth Nigerian to win a medal in the men’s 100 metres at the Commonwealth Games.

He joins an elite list of Nigerian sprint greats that includes Davidson Ezinwa, Uchenna Emedolu and Olusoji Fasuba, all of whom previously reached the podium in the event.

Ajayi’s bronze medal further boosted Nigeria’s performance at the Games as the country continued its pursuit of more medals across different sporting events.

The result also reinforces Ajayi’s growing reputation as one of Africa’s brightest sprint talents ahead of future international competitions, including the World Athletics Championships and the next Olympic Games.