Sports
Paris 2024: Ajayi Shatters Nigerian Record, Advances To 100m Semifinals
Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi has made headlines at the 2024 Paris Olympics by securing a spot in the men’s 100m semifinals event.
Ajayi clinched victory in heat 5 with an impressive time of 10.02 seconds, setting a new record for the fastest opening round time by a Nigerian, surpassing Davidson Ezinwa’s previous mark of 10.03 seconds.
The 19-year-old Ajayi outpaced Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy, who finished second with a time of 10.05 seconds, and Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, who took third place with 10.06 seconds.
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Ajayi, with a personal best of 10.00 seconds, is closing in on the coveted sub-10 second mark.
Fellow Nigerian Favour Ashe, also a student at Auburn University in the USA, secured a spot in the semifinals after finishing fourth in his heat with a time of 10.16 seconds.
Ashe’s progression was confirmed as a non-automatic qualifier.
In other notable performances, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won heat 4 with a time of 9.99 seconds, while Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe set the pace with the fastest time of the competition so far, winning heat 3 in 9.98 seconds.
Despite an unanticipated run, Noah Lyles advanced to the semifinals, finishing second in his heat behind Hinchliffe.
Ajayi and Ashe will compete in the semifinals alongside top athletes such as South Africa’s Akani Simbine and USA’s Kenny Bednarek, who also won their respective heats.
At the previous Tokyo Olympics, Nigeria’s Enoch Adegoke advanced to the 100m final with a time of 10.00 seconds, finishing second in semi-final 2.
For the first time in 25 years, a Nigerian male athlete has advanced to the 100m final at the Olympic Games.
On Sunday, Nigerian athletes Kanyinsola Ajayi and Favour Ashe will face strong competition in their respective semifinal heats. Ajayi, competing in heat 2, will go up against a formidable field that includes Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, Akani Simbine of South Africa, and Kenneth Bednarek of the USA.
Ashe, meanwhile, will tackle a challenging lineup in his heat, featuring Noah Lyles of the USA, Oblique Seville of Jamaica, Louie Hinchliffe of Great Britain, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, and Benjamin Azamati of Ghana.
Both Ajayi and Ashe will need to deliver exceptional performances to advance to the final and aim for a podium finish, matching the achievement of Enoch Adegoke from the previous Olympics.
Sports
Team Nigeria Stuns Commonwealth Games with Record-Breaking Performances
Team Nigeria delivered a remarkable display at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, producing a world record, a historic gold medal and a hard-fought bronze to underline the country’s growing dominance in athletics.
Leading the charge was para-athlete Goodness Nwachukwu, who successfully defended her women’s F42 discus throw title in spectacular fashion by setting a new world record of 39.66 metres with her final throw.
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The 27-year-old surpassed her previous world record by more than three metres to register her fourth career world record and add another Commonwealth gold medal to her impressive collection.
Wales’ Funmi Oduwaiye settled for silver with a throw of 38.52 metres, while Bree Cronin claimed bronze after recording 36.00 metres.
Reacting to her achievement, an emotional Nwachukwu said, “I feel like I am on top of the world. I feel so great. I feel so wow, I was like, ‘Ah, what?’ and I started shouting.”
She also expressed gratitude to Nigerians for their unwavering support, adding, “I love you all and I can’t wait to see you. Love you.”
Nigeria’s celebrations continued in the men’s shot put, where Chukwuebuka Enekwechi made history by becoming the first Nigerian to win Commonwealth Games gold in the event.
The African record holder secured victory with a throw of 21.07 metres, improving on the silver medal he won at the 2018 Commonwealth Games while erasing the disappointment of his fourth-place finish in Birmingham four years ago.
Defending champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand claimed silver with a throw of 21.03 metres, while England’s Scott Lincoln finished with bronze after throwing 20.99 metres.
Meanwhile, world record holder Tobi Amusan displayed determination in the women’s 100m hurdles, clocking 12.60 seconds to claim bronze and extend her Commonwealth Games medal streak to three consecutive editions.
Although she narrowly missed out on a third successive Commonwealth title, Amusan revealed after the race that she had been hampered by a knee injury sustained during Team Nigeria’s training camp in Aberdeen.
The outstanding performances by Nwachukwu, Enekwechi and Amusan capped another memorable day for Team Nigeria, as the athletes combined to deliver medals, history and a world record at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Sports
FIFA in Turmoil as Senior Adviser Steps Down Over Controversial World Cup Deal
FIFA has been thrown into fresh controversy after a senior adviser to President Gianni Infantino resigned over a proposed plan to sell a stake in the commercial operations of the FIFA World Cup, describing the move as harmful to the future of football.
The resignation, announced on Friday, marks a major setback for Infantino as criticism continues to mount over the governing body’s plans to commercialize aspects of the world’s biggest football tournament.
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Carlos Cordeiro, a former president of the United States Soccer Federation and one of Infantino’s senior advisers, said he could not support the proposal, insisting it would undermine the interests of FIFA’s member associations and the sport itself.
“As a senior advisor to the FIFA president, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said in his resignation statement.
He stressed that he had no role in developing the proposal.
“Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” he said.
Cordeiro further described the initiative as detrimental to football’s long-term future.
“It is a bad deal for FIFA’s member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game,” he added.
His resignation came just hours after FIFA announced it would continue with what it described as an “open and democratic” consultation process on the proposal, despite growing opposition.
The development represents one of the most significant internal challenges facing Infantino in recent months and is expected to intensify debate over the commercial direction of global football and the governance of the FIFA World Cup.
Sports
End of an Era: Neymar Retires from International Football After 16 Years
Brazilian football icon Neymar Jr. has officially announced his retirement from international football, ending a remarkable 16-year career with the Brazil national team and closing one of the most celebrated chapters in the country’s football history.
The 34-year-old Santos forward confirmed his decision after his side’s 4-2 victory over Universidad Central in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana knockout round playoffs, putting an end to months of speculation about a potential return to the Seleção.
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Reflecting on his decision, Neymar said he had given everything for his country.
“My time with the national team is over. I made history, I was very happy, I gave my blood, my life. I always fought for the yellow jersey, but now I don’t want to anymore,” he said.
Neymar’s final appearance for Brazil came in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Norway. Although he converted a stoppage-time penalty, Brazil suffered a 2-1 defeat, ending their hopes of winning a sixth World Cup title.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star retires as Brazil’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer, having scored 80 goals to surpass the legendary Pelé’s record of 77.
Since making his senior debut in 2010, Neymar represented Brazil in four FIFA World Cups, multiple Copa América tournaments, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the Olympic Games.
He played a key role in Brazil’s 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup triumph and captained the nation to its first-ever Olympic men’s football gold medal at the Rio 2016 Games.
Despite his extraordinary achievements, injuries often hampered his international career. A calf injury sustained while playing for Santos ruled him out of Brazil’s opening two matches at the 2026 World Cup.
He later returned as a substitute against Scotland in the final group-stage match before making his final international appearance against Norway, scoring the last goal of his Brazil career.
Neymar’s retirement marks the end of an era for Brazilian football, leaving behind a legacy of record-breaking achievements, unforgettable moments and unwavering commitment to the famous yellow jersey.





