Ajayi, Nathaniel finish fourth at Silesia Diamond League

Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi and Ezekiel Nathaniel both finished fourth in their respective events at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Chorzów, Poland, on Sunday.

Ajayi clocked 9.94 seconds in the men’s 100m final, finishing behind Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, Kenneth Bednarek and Christian Coleman in a fiercely contested race that saw all nine finalists break 10 seconds.

Seville won in a meeting-record 9.83 seconds, lowering the previous mark of 9.87 seconds set by Fred Kerley in August 2024.

Ajayi’s time placed him ahead of Canada’s Andre De Grasse, South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Cameroon’s African champion Emmanuel Eseme, who ran 9.96, 9.96 and 9.99 seconds respectively.

The Nigerian had qualified for the final after finishing third in his heat.

Nathaniel, meanwhile, clocked 47.83 seconds to finish fourth in the men’s 400m hurdles behind Brazilian Alison dos Santos, Norway’s Karsten Warholm and  Matheus Lima.

Dos Santos stormed to victory in a world-leading 46.43 seconds, with Warholm running 46.52 and Lima setting a personal best of 47.26.

The Silesia outing was the first Diamond League appearance for both Nigerians since their impressive performances at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Ajayi won bronze in the men’s 100m in Glasgow and added a silver medal in the 4x100m relay. His 100m bronze ended Nigeria’s 20-year wait for a Commonwealth Games medal in the event since Olusoji Fasuba won silver in 2006.

Nathaniel, on his part, won gold in the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.47 seconds, becoming the first Nigerian man to win the Commonwealth Games title in the event.

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