Kayinsola Ajayi Lost Bronze By Four Thousandths Of A Second

Sports

Budapest · Saturday 12 September 2026

Kayinsola Ajayi finished fourth in the men's 100m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, running 9.93 seconds. Ronnie Baker of the United States was given third in the same time, separated by four thousandths of a second on the photo finish. Kenny Bednarek won in a season's best 9.85, with Oblique Seville second in 9.90.

Ajayi was the fastest African in the final. The margin that cost him a medal is smaller than the reaction time of a blink.

sprinter starting blocks track focus Photograph by Peter Zhan via Unsplash.

What fourth place pays

This meeting was built around a ten million dollar prize fund that pays down the finishing order rather than to the podium alone. Ajayi leaves Budapest with 25,000 dollars.

Position	Athlete	Prize
First, 9.85	Kenny Bednarek	150,000 dollars
Second, 9.90	Oblique Seville	75,000 dollars
Third, 9.93	Ronnie Baker	40,000 dollars
Fourth, 9.93	Kayinsola Ajayi	25,000 dollars

The same time, and a 15,000 dollar difference.

Why the prize structure matters more than the placing. Under the old model, fourth in a global final earns a line in a results table and nothing else. Here it paid more than most Nigerian athletes earn from a full season of appearance fees. That is the change this championship was created to make, and Ajayi is a direct beneficiary of it.

The week in context

Tobi Amusan took silver in the 100m hurdles on Friday for 75,000 dollars. Ezekiel Nathaniel reached the 400m hurdles final. Nigeria sent a small delegation to the richest meeting the sport has staged and came home with a medal, a fourth place and real money, which is a better return than the size of the team suggested.

Four thousandths of a second is not a performance gap. It is the resolution of the camera.

What it says about where he is

Ajayi ran 9.93 against the reigning fastest men in the world, at the end of a long season, in his breakthrough year. He was not beaten by a class above him. He was beaten by a photo. The useful question now is not whether he belongs in that field, because he plainly does, but whether Nigerian athletics can keep a sprinter at that level supported through a full season.

Reporting: Premium Times, TVC News, World Athletics and Punch Newspapers.

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