Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme delivered the performance of his life to win the men’s 100m title at the Commonwealth Games 2026, storming to a Games record and national record of 9.83 seconds in a rain-soaked Glasgow.
The 32-year-old, who only took up athletics at the age of 24, produced a sensational run into a legal +1.3 m/s wind to become Commonwealth champion and cement his place among Africa’s greatest sprinters.
Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy pushed Eseme all the way, clocking 9.85 seconds to take silver while breaking Australia’s 23-year-old national record. Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi, just 21 years old, claimed bronze in 9.90 seconds, securing Nigeria’s first Commonwealth Games medal in the men’s 100m in two decades.
Men’s 100m Final
Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) – 9.83 (Games Record & Cameroon National Record)- Lachlan Kennedy (Australia) – 9.85 (Australian Record)
- Kayinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) – 9.90
Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) – 9.83 (Games Record & Cameroon National Record)
Lachlan Kennedy (Australia) – 9.85 (Australian Record)
Kayinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) – 9.90In one of the fastest Commonwealth Games finals ever, four athletes broke the 10-second barrier despite heavy rain, highlighting the exceptional quality of the race.
A Remarkable Journey
Eseme’s triumph is the culmination of an extraordinary journey.
Unlike most elite sprinters, the Cameroonian only began athletics at 24 years of age, making his rise to the top of the Commonwealth podium all the more remarkable. His winning time of 9.83 seconds not only shattered the Games record but also improved his own standing among the continent’s sprint greats, moving him to third on the African all-time list.
The victory also ended a long wait for Cameroon, delivering the country’s first Commonwealth Games track gold medal in two decades.
Kennedy Rewrites Australian Record Books
Silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy also produced a career-defining performance.
His 9.85-second run eclipsed Australia’s long-standing national record, which had stood for 23 years, underlining the emergence of a new force in Australian sprinting.
Historic Bronze for Nigeria
For Kayinsola Ajayi, the bronze medal represented more than a place on the podium.
The 21-year-old became the first Nigerian man to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the 100m since Olusoji Fasuba claimed silver at the 2006 Melbourne Games, ending a 20-year wait for one of Africa’s traditional sprinting powerhouses.
With records falling, national milestones achieved and one of the deepest sprint finals in Commonwealth Games history, the Glasgow men’s 100m final will be remembered as a race that showcased a new generation of global sprinting talent while crowning an unlikely champion whose journey began later than almost anyone could have imagined.