The 21-year-old clocked 9.97 seconds to finish third at the King Baudouin Stadium, becoming the first Nigerian to stand on the podium in the men’s 100m at a Diamond League Final.
Oblique Seville of Jamaica won the race in 9.90, claiming his first Diamond Trophy, while Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme took silver in 9.93. Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy finished fourth in 9.99, with South Africa’s Gift Leotlela fifth in 10.01.
Ajayi’s time was his 16th sub-10-second performance of a remarkable campaign. He entered the final as a global wildcard after finishing outside the automatic qualifying places, yet still mixed it with the world champion and the Commonwealth Games champion.
The result rounded off a season in which Ajayi rewrote Nigeria’s sprint history. He broke Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old national record with a personal best of 9.84, a mark he then equalled in winning Diamond League meetings at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene and in London. Those victories included two defeats of Seville, making Brussels a high-profile rematch.
Earlier in 2026 he also won NCAA titles over 60m indoors and 100m outdoors, the latter in a wind-aided 9.72, and claimed individual and relay bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Friday’s race was staged on the opening night of the 50th Allianz Memorial Van Damme. Christian Coleman led at halfway before fading, while Seville recovered from a modest start to take control in the closing metres. Ajayi held his form down the straight to secure third in a stacked field that also included Trayvon Bromell and Akani Simbine.
The bronze carries a $10,000 prize and confirms Ajayi’s place among the world’s leading sprinters in his first professional season. Born in Ikorodu on 14 September 2004, he is expected to return to the United States to continue his studies before turning his attention to 2027.
For Nigerian athletics, the podium in Brussels is a landmark. After two decades without a male 100m medal at the Commonwealth Games, Ajayi has now added a Diamond League Final bronze and a national record, establishing himself as the country’s most significant sprint prospect in a generation.