Jared Ejiasian, the French-Nigerian sprinter, has set a new U18 world record in the men’s 60 meters hurdles.
The 16-year-old clocked 7.43 seconds in the final at the French U18 & U20 Championships, held on Saturday at Stade Couvert Jesse Owens in Val-de-Reuil.
Ejiasian’s time surpasses the previous seven-year-old world record of 7.48 seconds, set by Sasha Zhoya in 2019, breaking it by five hundredths of a second.
Earlier in January, he had won the same event at the Tempo Run League indoor meet with a 7.57-second run, setting a new African U18 record.
Representing AC Nord Val d’Oise in league competitions, Ejiasian pulled away after the second hurdle and sprinted to the finish line in record time, marking his second victory of the season.
Born in Nigeria and relocated to France at three months old, Ejiasian currently represents Nigeria but is reportedly pursuing French naturalisation to officially compete for France.
In 2024, he had already made headlines by breaking four French school records in the U14 category, including three in the 200m hurdles and one in the 4x60m mixed relay.