Ajayi, Ezekiel make competitive returns in Poland

August 23, 2026 12:11 am

Nigerian sprinters, Kanyinsola Ajayi and Ezekiel Nathaniel, are set to make their first competitive returns since the Commonwealth Games when they line up at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland on Sunday (today).

Ajayi will compete in the 100m, with the preliminary round scheduled for 2:50pm and the final at 4:11pm, while Nathaniel takes on the 400m hurdles final at 3:04pm.

The outing comes on the back of a stellar Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow, where Ajayi won bronze in the men’s 100m in 9.90 seconds to become Nigeria’s first men’s 100m medallist at the Games in 20 years, finishing behind Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, who claimed gold in a Games record of 9.83 seconds, and Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy, who took silver in 9.85 seconds.

The 21-year-old, who recently turned professional after signing a sponsorship deal with Adidas, has enjoyed a record-breaking season, improving the Nigerian 100m record to 9.84 seconds and clocking a wind-assisted 9.72 seconds, his fastest time of the year. He has also claimed two Diamond League victories this season and is currently ranked fifth in the world in the men’s 100m by World Athletics.

Nathaniel, for his part, arrives in Poland fresh from storming to 400m hurdles gold in Glasgow, clocking 48.47 seconds to beat England’s Jake Minshull, who took silver in 48.99 seconds, and Jamaica’s Assinie Wilson, who claimed bronze in 49.22 seconds.

The 23-year-old, who holds the Nigerian record of 47.86 seconds, enters the meeting as one of the sport’s most consistent quarter-milers of the past four years, having reached the semi-finals at the World Championships in both 2022 and 2023, as well as at the Paris 2024 Olympics, in addition to winning the 2025 NCAA Outdoor title during his time at Baylor University in the United States.

Peter Akinbo

Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories

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