Just last month, Kayinsola Ajayi beat Oblique Seville in London with a 9.84-second victory, finishing ahead of the Jamaican world champion, but the latter knew how to answer.

Soon after, Ajayi reportedly gave Seville a stare-down at the finish line. Now, Seville returned to the Diamond League stage in Silesia with a chance to return the stare-down favor.

This time, though, it wasn’t just another win. It was a record-breaking win, as he smashed Fred Kerley’s Silesia meeting record (9.87) with this one.

Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland hosted the men’s 100m final on August 23 on the occasion of the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. The world champion, who came out of lane five, delivered a great run of 9.83 to pull off the win and knock four hundredths off Kerley’s 2024 meeting record of 9.87.

Seville’s time was also just 0.01 seconds away from his season’s best of 9.82. But Noah Lyles’ 9.79 from New York on July 24 still stands as the 2026 world lead.

After the race, Seville admitted that he was pleased with both the victory and the record, especially after coming so close to his personal best.

“I am in pretty good shape and I feel pretty good about the win. I am in great shape for the Ultimate Championships,” Seville said. “The atmosphere here is great and I will look to come back next year. This is my first time in Poland. The victory feels nice, especially as I ran close to my PB.”

The Jamaican also revealed that breaking the meeting record had been part of the plan before he stepped onto the track.

“I am just having fun. I got the meeting record like we said in the press conference. I can manage. There are great things ahead of me.”

Behind Seville, Kenny Bednarek gave him the biggest challenge, clocking 9.87 to finish second and match the old meeting record. Bednarek later admitted that his slow start had cost him a chance to put more pressure on the Jamaican.

“I felt pretty good and pretty easy. Oblique got me here, but I gave away too much at the beginning of the race. I tried to pick him up, but when you race against someone who is as fast and as strong as you are, you cannot afford to make mistakes.”

Christian Coleman finished third in 9.93, while Ajayi had to settle for fourth in 9.94. That result gave Seville a decisive response to their London meeting, where Ajayi had taken the win.

Gift Leotlela finished fifth in 9.95, while Andre De Grasse and Akani Simbine both ran 9.96. Ronnie Baker followed in 9.97, with Emmanuel Eseme completing the final in 9.99.

Interestingly, the depth of the final made the race even more remarkable. All nine finalists broke 10 seconds, with Seville running 9.83. Bednarek’s 9.87 would have equalled the old meeting record, but Seville went four hundredths faster and claimed the mark for himself. 

For Seville, the victory felt even more important after the two defeats he had suffered against Ajayi in the weeks leading up to Silesia.

Ajayi beats Seville twice before Silesia

The first one was on July 4, 2026, at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene when Ajayi stunned Seville. The Nigerian achieved 9.84 seconds to win, with Seville in 2nd place in 9.89, and Christian Coleman in 3rd place in 9.95.

Ajayi equalled his Nigerian record of 9.84 to take an even bigger surprise from the reigning world champion Seville. It was the first sign that Ajayi was becoming a serious threat to the Jamaican at the top of the 100m.

Two weeks later, Ajayi delivered another blow in London. On July 18, he once again clocked 9.84 seconds to win the Diamond League 100m, while Seville finished runner-up in 9.87.

The result was more than another victory for Ajayi. He had now beaten the reigning world champion twice in succession, and both wins had come in the same eye-catching time of 9.84.

The London race also produced the finish-line moment that added more fuel to their growing rivalry, with Ajayi reportedly turning toward Seville after securing the win. Then came Silesia. This time, Seville left nothing to chance.