Kanyinsola Ajayi Misses $40,000 Podium by Photo Finish as Bednarek Wins Budapest 100m
Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi narrowly missed out on a podium finish in the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary, after being edged into fourth place by American Ronnie Baker.
Ajayi crossed the line in 9.93 seconds, exactly the same time recorded by Baker, but the American was awarded the bronze medal following a photo finish.
Kenny Bednarek claimed the inaugural Ultimate Championship 100m title in 9.85 seconds, with Jamaica’s Oblique Seville taking silver in 9.90 seconds.
The Nigerian’s fourth-place finish came in a tightly contested final that featured several of the world’s leading sprinters.
Ajayi was separated from the podium by the smallest of margins, finishing level on time with Baker and just 0.08 seconds behind champion Bednarek.
Ajayi Among World’s Elite
Despite missing out on a medal, Ajayi’s performance further underlines his emergence as one of the leading sprinters on the global stage.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough 2026 season, establishing a new Nigerian record of 9.84 seconds and producing a series of performances that placed him firmly among the contenders for the Ultimate Championship title.
His progress has been particularly impressive against established international names, with Ajayi demonstrating throughout the season that he can compete at the highest level of the men’s 100m.
His Budapest campaign ultimately ended without a medal, but a fourth-place finish in a world-class field represents another important milestone in his rapidly developing career.
$40,000 Slips Away
The narrow defeat was also costly financially.
A third-place finish would have earned Ajayi $40,000, while Baker secured the bronze-medal prize after winning the photo finish.
Bednarek’s victory earned him the individual event winner’s prize, while Seville took the runner-up reward.
For Ajayi, however, the bigger takeaway from Budapest is his continued presence among the world’s elite.
Having already established himself as a sub-10-second sprinter and Nigerian record-holder, the next challenge will be converting these near-podium performances into major championship medals.
Ajayi may have missed the podium in Budapest, but his performance confirms that Nigeria now has a sprinter capable of consistently challenging the world’s best over 100 metres.
