Bori Akinola

Last updated
Bori Akinola
Personal information
Full nameToluwabori Akinola
NationalityIrish
Born (2001-08-06) 6 August 2001 (age 24)
Sport
Sport Athletics
EventSprint
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)60m: 6.61 (2025)
100m: 10.20 (2025)
200m: 21.42 (2025)

Toluwabori Akinola (born 6 August 2001) is an Irish sprinter. In 2025, he became Irish national champion over 60 metres and 100 metres. [1]

Contents

Early life

In September 2017, he emigrated to Ireland from Lagos, Nigeria with his mother, older brother and younger sister. He attended Community College in Balbriggan. [2]

Career

Akinola was a relative late-starter to athletics, and was 17 years-old when he went to his first training session in 2018 in Santry with Fingallians Athletics Club. [2]

Competing in July 2022 at the National under-23 Championships in Tullamore, he finished second in the 100 metres in 10.30. [2] In 2023, he won a silver medal at the Irish Athletics Championships in the 100 metres, both behind Israel Olatunde. [3] He was second behind Olatunde again at the 2024 Irish Championships. The pair were teammates in the 4x100m relay at the 2024 European Athletics Championships, Akinola's first major championship. [2] [4] [5]

In January 2025, he lowered his 60 metres personal best to 6.65 seconds. [6] He won the 60 metres title at the Irish Indoor Athletics Championship at Abbotstown on 23 February 2025, running 6.61 seconds. [7] The time put him joint-second on the Irish all-time list alongside Paul Hession, behind only the national record of 6.57 by Israel Olatunde, who finished third in the race. [8] The first national title came despite the fact he had been nursing a hamstring injury in the lead-up to the race. [9] He qualified for the Irish team for the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. [10] At the Championships, he ran 6.66 seconds to reach the semi-finals of the 60 metres race. [11]

In June 2025, he ran the fastest all-conditions 100m by an Irishman with 10.10 seconds (+2.9m/s). [12] On 21 June 2025, alongside Michael Farrelly, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde, he set a new Irish 4x100 metres relay record running a time of 38.92 seconds at a World Continental Tour Meeting in Switzerland, the record was broken the following week at the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships in Maribor, although he was not a member of the team due to running in the 100 metres earlier that day, and was replaced with Sean Aigbobah. [13] [14] He won the 100m at the 2025 Irish Athletics Championships. [15] He set a new personal best of 10.20 seconds for the metres on 17 August 2025 in Stratford. [16]

Personal life

He studied computer science at University College Dublin, and later worked as an iOS engineer. [2]

References

  1. ↑ "Bori Akinola". World Athletics. Retrieved 23 Feb 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kissane, Sinead (20 Feb 2025). "'When I ran 10.30 that was fifth fastest of all time. I was 21. I didn't know what I had done' – Bori Akinola on making up for lost time". Independent.ie. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  3. ↑ Newman, Jason (25 June 2023). "Dundalk sprinter makes it three in a row at National Championships". Dundalk Examiner. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  4. ↑ "European Championships: Irish in action on Day 5". RTE. 12 Jun 2024. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  5. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (11 June 2024). "European Athletics Championships: Sharlene Mawdsley's anchor leg to win 4x400m heat makes up for her poor final run". Independent.ie. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  6. ↑ Williams, Perri (20 January 2025). "PERSONAL BESTS FOR LYNCH AND AKINOLA". Runulster. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  7. ↑ "Kelly and Akinola among winners at Irish Indoors". BBC Sport. 23 Feb 2025. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  8. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (23 Feb 2025). "Bori Akinola powers his way to indoor sprint title as Sharlene Mawdsley cruises home in 400m final". Kndependent.ie. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  9. ↑ "Healy, Mawdsley and Akinola win National Indoor titles". RTE. 23 Feb 202. Retrieved 24 Feb 2025.
  10. ↑ "Akinola, Doyle and McCann added to Irish team for European Indoor Athletics Championships". Irish Examiner. 25 Feb 2025. Retrieved 25 Feb 2025.
  11. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (8 March 2025). "Dubliner Sarah Healy eyeing up her first senior international medal at European Athletics Indoor Championships" . Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (1 August 2025). "Mark English's long dominance over 800m threatened by Cian McPhillips". Imdependent.ie. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  13. ↑ "Irish men set new national record in 4x100m relay". RTE. 21 Jun 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  14. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (27 June 2025). "Ireland gear up for European Athletics Team Championships in Slovenia". Independent.ie. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Griggs third as Doyle wins Irish National title". BBC Sport. 3 August 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "Akinola becomes fastest Irish man this season". RTE. 2025-08-17.
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