Speaking ahead of Thursday’s opening ceremony in Glasgow, Fasuba praised the 21-year-old’s rapid progress and said his consistency had marked him out as one of the world’s emerging sprint talents.

“Kanyinsola Ajayi’s progress has been exceptional,” Fasuba told THISDAY.

“What stands him out is the consistency of his improvement. He has shown that he can compete with the very best in the world and, if he continues on this path, I believe he can become one of Africa’s all-time great sprinters.”

Ajayi has enjoyed a breakthrough year, establishing himself among the world’s leading sprinters and recently breaking Nigeria‘s long-standing men’s 100m record.

Fasuba, whose national record stood for 20 years after he ran 9.85 seconds in 2006, said he was pleased to see another Nigerian raise the standard.

“I was privileged to hold the African record for 15 years and the Nigerian record for 20 years,” he said.

“Those are achievements I will always cherish, but records are meant to be broken. I am genuinely delighted that another Nigerian has raised the standard.”

The former sprinter urged Ajayi not to be satisfied with his latest achievement and challenged him to pursue the African record.

“My message to Kanyinsola is simple. Do not stop here. Keep pushing,” Fasuba said.

“Breaking the Nigerian record is only one milestone. Now go after the African record and continue lowering your personal best. That is how legacies are built.”

Fasuba also believes Ajayi and quarter-miler Samuel Ogazi can inspire a new generation of male Nigerian sprinters after years in which the country’s women dominated sprint success.

“The feats of Kanyinsola and Samuel Ogazi have the potential to inspire a new generation of Nigerian male sprinters and quarter-milers,” he said.

Ajayi arrives in Glasgow in impressive form after another standout performance on the Diamond League circuit, where he again finished ahead of Jamaica’s Oblique Seville at the London meeting after also beating him earlier this season at the Prefontaine Classic.

The sprinter has already joined Team Nigeria’s training camp in Scotland ahead of the athletics programme, which begins on 27 July.

Meanwhile, the first group of Nigerian athletes and officials left the team’s pre-Games training base in Aberdeen for Glasgow on Wednesday, with a second group scheduled to move into the Athletes’ Village on Friday.

The phased relocation follows several weeks of preparation and acclimatisation in Aberdeen as Nigeria finalises its build-up to the Commonwealth Games.

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