Nigerian sprint hurdler sensation Jared Ejiasian has sent shockwaves through the athletics world after shattering a seven-year world record in the men’s 60-meter hurdles at the French U18 and U20 Indoor Championships in Val-de-Reuil on Saturday.

The 16-year-old clocked a breathtaking 7.43 seconds in the final at the Stade Couvert Jesse Owens, eclipsing the previous world record of 7.48 seconds set by France’s Sasha Zhoya in 2019.

A NEW STAR⭐️HAS RISEN FOR NIGERIA 🇳🇬🇳🇬

Watch the moment Jared Ejiasan broke the U18 World Record in 60mH, running a WR of 7.43s.

Although he has been living in France since he was 1, Jared opted to represent Naija👏

🤝Like Tobi Amusan, like Jared!pic.twitter.com/MxzoeV0vj6

— Making of Champions (@MakingOfChamps) February 21, 2026

Ejiasian asserted his dominance from the start, separating himself from the field at the second hurdle and powering through the closing strides to seal his second major victory of the indoor season in historic fashion. The feat makes him the second Nigerian, after the trailblazing Tobi Amusan, to hold a world record in the hurdling event. 

Nigeria now has TWO world record holders in the hurdling event.

Tobi Amusan – 100m hurdles
Jared Ejiasan – U18 60m hurdles

📷: https://t.co/eNaj7CjzMS, @MakingOfChamps pic.twitter.com/ifVoHa2H2v

— Abimbola (@Bimbochan) February 21, 2026

Earlier in January, the Nigerian-born prodigy had already signalled his arrival on the global stage by winning the same event at the Tempo Run League indoor meet, posting a time of 7.57 seconds to establish a new African U18 record.

A prodigy in every sense of the word, Ejiasian’s momentum traces back to 2024 when he broke four French school records in the U14 category, including three in the 200-meter hurdles and another in the 4×60 meters mixed relay.

Jared Ejiasian’s emergence comes at a time when Nigeria is fast losing its brightest athletes due to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s chronic incompetence. Born in Nigeria, Ejiasian moved to France at three months old and currently represents Nigeria in competitions. However, multiple reports claim he has initiated the process of naturalisation to become a French citizen and may officially switch nationality in the coming months.