Future Looks Bright for 20-Year-Old NCAA Track and Field Star as He Reflects on Running the World’s Third-Fastest Time

On April 19, 2025, at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida, 20-year-old Nigerian sprinter Kayinsola Ajayi lit up the track with a stunning 9.96-second 100m dash, assisted by a +1.9 m/s legal wind. This breakout performance made him the third-fastest man in the world that year and the 10th Nigerian ever to dip under 10 seconds. But what do they do? Records are meant to be broken. This is very true in track and field for example; Ajayi, being the 3rd fastest man in 100m for 2025, didn’t last for long.

The 2025 SEC outdoor track and field championships were held at the University of Kentucky’s Outdoor Track and Field Facility in Lexington, Kentucky. And Jordan Anthony just shocked the entire facility as he clocked the 3rd fastest 100 meters of the 2025 season, both at the professional and collegiate level. The man recorded a time of 9.95 seconds. A special feat calls for an interview, doesn’t it? What did the Arkansas track and field athlete have to say?

What went right in this race was the first question to be asked of the track and field sensation. The 20-year-old said, “Just practice, man. Just repetitive work over and over and over, just going to work. It was really my turn to shout out to Jez, keeping healthy people behind the scenes. All glory to death and God, that’s to say, dude, you are killing former schools.” Jordan has been a promising talent for Arkansas over the past 2 years.

He won the 2023 USTFCCCA Indoor Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year. Jordan initially joined the University of Kentucky, where he made significant strides in track and field. In track, he set freshman records in the 60-meter dash (6.55 seconds) and the 100-meter dash (10.16 seconds), placing him second on Kentucky’s all-time performers list at these events.

Citing his comeback to that very facility, the interviewer said that you have come back where you started. Anthony said, “They just really have faith in me to put in. They just poured into me, and now I’m just pouring it back to them.” It isn’t the 100 meters only where he outperformed, though.  Anthony delivered a standout performance in the men’s 60-meter dash.

He clinched the title with a personal best time of 6.54 seconds, narrowly edging out Auburn’s Israel Okon, who finished in 6.55 seconds. This victory marked Anthony’s first SEC title and set a new school record for Arkansas in the event. A big contribution to the Arkansas 5th sec title. 

Arkansas lifts the 2025 SEC outdoor track and field championships

The Arkansas men’s track and field squad captured the 2025 SEC Outdoor Championship on May 17 at the University of Kentucky Outdoor Track & Field Facility in Lexington, Kentucky, with 98.5 team points to outpace a deep 15-team field. This title marks their 24th overall SEC outdoor crown and extends their streak to five consecutive championships (2021–2025), underscoring a remarkable era of dominance in the conference.

Their coach even shared his thoughts after the 5th title. Head Coach Chris Bucknam’s roster blended seasoned returners with a host of newcomers—18 of the 30 rostered athletes were making their SEC outdoor debut—yet the team cohesion was evident throughout the three-day meet. Bucknam credited his coaching staff’s meticulous event planning and the athletes’ unwavering focus on execution: “From the 100 to the 10,000, everything in between, we knew we needed every point. These guys rose to the occasion,” he noted after the win.

Arkansas secured critical event victories that proved decisive in the team standings. Jordan Anthony sprinted to first-place finishes in both the men’s 100m and 200m (19.93 for the win) dashes, delivering maximum points in the short sprints. In the middle distances, Davis Helmerich powered away for the 1500 m title, while Ben Shearer’s runner-up performance in the 5000 m added valuable points toward the final tally.

Additionally, veteran decathlete Marcus Weaver claimed the SEC decathlon gold with a season-best total of 7,940 points, further solidifying Arkansas’s depth across both track and field events.