Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi will be aiming to put the finishing touch to his breakthrough season when he lines up in the men’s 100m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Saturday, with a potentially life-changing $150,000 prize awaiting the winner.
The championship has attracted a record $10 million prize pot, the richest in athletics history, adding even more incentive for Ajayi and the world’s leading sprinters as the season reaches its climax.
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The winner of each individual event will pocket $150,000, while the runner-up will take home $75,000 and the third-place finisher $40,000. In the relay events, the winning team will share an $80,000 prize.
Ajayi will line up in the second semi-final on Saturday alongside a formidable field featuring Ackeem Blake, 2020 Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, South Africa’s Akani Simbine, USA’s Kenneth Bednarek, African champion Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, Colombia’s Ronal Longa and Ronnie Baker.
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Only the first four athletes in each semi-final will advance to the final, which is scheduled to take place just over an hour after the semi-finals.
With the season entering its final stretch, Ajayi is determined to leave everything on the track as he bids to end a remarkable campaign on the biggest possible note.
“Money on the line, last race of the season, you are going all out without leaving any gaps,” Ajayi told Making of Champions in Budapest on Friday.
The 21-year-old enters the competition as the fourth-fastest athlete in the men’s 100m this year, behind Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, Noah Lyles and Bednarek.
Ajayi has also developed an emerging rivalry with Seville after defeating the Jamaican twice on the Diamond League circuit this season.
However, Seville has also had the upper hand on other occasions, including in the Diamond League final in Brussels.
For Ajayi, the back-and-forth battles with one of the world’s fastest sprinters have provided an opportunity to measure himself against the best while identifying areas for improvement.
“I have been enjoying the rivalry so far. It has been teaching me a lot about how competitive I am and how I can compete with the fast guys,” he said.
Ajayi chasing another sub 10
Beyond the prize money and the prospect of winning the inaugural title, Ajayi will also be targeting another sub-10-second performance in Budapest.
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The Nigerian has already broken the 10-second barrier 15 times during his budding career, underlining the remarkable consistency that has accompanied his rise to the top of African sprinting.
His breakthrough season began in spectacular fashion in May when he clocked a Nigerian record of 9.84 seconds in the men’s 100m at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round in the United States.
That performance saw Ajayi lower Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old Nigerian record of 9.85 seconds.
He subsequently went on to win the NCAA outdoor 100m title and has equalled his national record twice since setting the mark.
The 21-year-old has also claimed two Diamond League victories during the season, further establishing himself among the leading sprinters on the global circuit.
His remarkable rise continued at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he secured bronze in the men’s 100m.
Now, with $150,000 and the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship title on the line, Ajayi has one final opportunity to cap his breakthrough campaign in style.
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