Best Odds Center
best odds centre button
Click here!
Sport TV
watch live tv button
Click here!
to watch
Live FootBall
NPFL
Click here!
Live Scores
play watch Live Score button
Click here!

More Nigerians Punch Tickets to World Athletics Championships

Posted : 25 August 2026

Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing have received an early boost, with sprinters Kanyinsola Ajayi and Ezekiel Nathaniel becoming the country’s first athletes to secure automatic qualification for the global showpiece.

Ajayi booked his place in the men’s 100m after clocking 9.94 seconds in the final of the Silesia Diamond League in Poland, with a legal tailwind of 1.4m/s. His time comfortably met the automatic qualifying standard for Beijing.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable 2026 campaign, establishing himself as one of Nigeria’s leading sprint prospects on the international scene. He has equalled the Nigerian national record of 9.84 seconds this year, won the NCAA title and claimed notable victories over reigning world champion Oblique Seville.

His latest performance in Silesia further underlined his growing status as a major force in the men’s 100m.

Nathaniel had earlier joined Ajayi on the Beijing-bound list after posting 47.83 seconds in the men’s 400m hurdles, also meeting the automatic qualification standard.

The Commonwealth Games champion and Nigerian record holder has continued to strengthen his reputation among the world’s elite hurdlers. Nathaniel holds the national record of 47.11 seconds, which he established at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

The early qualification of the duo gives Nigeria a solid foundation as the race for places at Beijing 2027 gathers momentum.

With the qualification window still open, athletes competing across sprints, hurdles, field events and other disciplines will have further opportunities to attain the required standards.

Ajayi and Nathaniel’s achievements could therefore prove to be the first entries in what Nigeria hopes will become a sizeable and competitive contingent at the 2027 World Athletics Championships. Their qualification provides an early boost for Nigeria as more athletes continue to chase the required standards for Beijing 2027.

 

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics

close button
Please fill captcha :