Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Toluwabori Akinola |
Nationality | Irish |
Born | 6 August 2001 |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | Sprint |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 60m: 6.61 (2025) 100m: 10.29 (2024) 200m: 21.64 (2022) |
Toluwabori Akinola (born 6 August 2001) is an Irish sprinter. in 2025, he became Irish national champion over 60 metres. [1]
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]
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]
He studied computer science at University College Dublin, and later worked as an iOS engineer. [2]