Five years ago, Kayinsola Ajayi was one of the young athletes emerging through athletics competitions organised in Lagos.
Today, he is Nigeria’s fastest man.
Ajayi returned to Lagos this weekend as the country’s men’s 100m record holder, with his journey from local competitions to the international stage providing another example of how quickly young Nigerian talent can develop when given an opportunity to compete.
Born in Ikorodu, Ajayi began attracting attention through Lagos State organised championships before his career moved beyond the domestic scene.
His rise has since taken him to some of athletics’ biggest stages.
Ajayi reached the men’s 100m semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games before finishing sixth at the World Championships in 2025.
His progress continued in 2026, with appearances at the Diamond League, Commonwealth Games and World Ultimate Athletics Championship.
But his return to where that journey began also places attention on the competitions that first provide young athletes with opportunities to be noticed.
For every Nigerian athlete competing internationally, there are younger competitors still racing at school, state and grassroots events hoping for their own breakthrough.
Ajayi was one of them only a few years ago.
During his Lagos homecoming, the sprinter encouraged emerging athletes to remain disciplined, committed and ready to take advantage of opportunities.
His own career provides a clear example of that pathway.
Nigeria has a long history of producing elite sprinters, but discovering the next generation depends partly on creating enough competitive opportunities before athletes reach the international level.
Ajayi’s progression from Lagos competitions to national record holder shows how quickly that journey can unfold.
The young athletes who met him this weekend were not simply looking at an international star.
They were looking at someone who once stood where they now stand.
Five years changed Ajayi from a promising Lagos athlete into Nigeria’s fastest man.
The question is who could be next?.
