Eseme breaks into Africa’s Top Three as Nigeria leads sprinting depth

Posted : 12 August 2026

Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme has shaken up the African sprinting hierarchy after storming to a lifetime-best 9.83 seconds at the recently concluded 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

The performance has lifted the 32-year-old into third position on Africa’s all-time men’s 100 metres list, behind Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala and South Africa’s Akani Simbine.

Omanyala remains Africa’s fastest man with 9.77 seconds, while Simbine occupies second place with 9.82 seconds.

Eseme’s new mark also puts him ahead of Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, who share fourth place on 9.84 seconds.

While Eseme’s breakthrough has brought Cameroon into sharper focus, Nigeria continues to stand out for its remarkable depth, with 17 athletes represented on the continent’s all-time list.

Ajayi leads the Nigerian contingent with 9.84 seconds, followed by Olusoji Fasuba at 9.85, Divine Oduduru at 9.86 and Godson Oghenebrume at 9.90.

Israel Okon, Seun Ogunloye and Udodi Onwuzurike have also joined the sub-10-second club with 9.91, 9.92 and 9.92 seconds, respectively.

Favour Ashe, who has emerged as one of Nigeria’s leading contemporary sprinters, is listed at 9.93 seconds, while Davidson Ezinwa ran 9.94.

Others on the Nigerian list are Olapade Adeniken and Deji Aliu, both at 9.95; Raymond Ekevwo at 9.96; Francis Obikwelu and Uchenna Emedolu at 9.97; and Daniel Effiong, Enoch Adegoke and Adekalu Fakorede at 9.98 seconds each.

Ajayi and Ashe have also distinguished themselves through repeated sub-10-second performances, underlining the consistency of Nigeria’s current sprinting generation.

South Africa follows Nigeria in terms of representation, with 12 athletes on the prestigious list.

Simbine leads the South African charge with 9.82 seconds, followed by Benjamin Richardson at 9.86, Gift Leotlela at 9.87 and Bayanda Walaza at 9.89.

Shaun Maswanganyi is credited with 9.91, while former 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk has a 9.94-second mark.

Thando Roto and Bradley Nkoana both ran 9.95, while Henricho Bruintjies, Simon Magakwe and Neo Mosebi posted 9.97, 9.98 and 9.98, respectively. Retshidisitswe Mlenga completes the South African representation with 9.99 seconds.

Ghana also boasts six athletes among Africa’s fastest-ever 100m runners, led by Saminu’s 9.84 seconds.

Benjamin Azamati follows at 9.90, with Joseph Paul Amoah at 9.92, Mustapha Bokpin at 9.94, Leo Myles-Mills at 9.98 and Aziz Zakari at 9.99.

The rankings underline the increasing competitiveness of men’s sprinting across Africa, with Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana providing significant depth alongside leading sprinters from Kenya, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Eseme’s latest feat is particularly significant for Cameroon, as his 9.83-second run places him in an elite group of African sprinters and gives the country a new landmark in its sprinting history.

With the leading marks now separated by only hundredths of a second, the African 100m scene is increasingly becoming a battleground of extraordinary depth, with established stars and emerging talents pushing the continental record books to new limits.

Eseme breaks into Africa’s Top Three as Nigeria leads sprinting depth

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