Bori Akinola

Bori Akinola
Akinola at the 2026 European Championships
Personal information
Full nameToluwabori Akinola
NationalityIrish
Born (2001-08-06) 6 August 2001
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
Sprint
ClubUCD AC
Coached byAdam McMullen
Achievements and titles
Personal bests60m: 6.54 (2026) NR
100m: 10.19 (2026)
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 and in 2026 set a new Irish national record in the 60m and retained his national title.[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]

Biography

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 4 x 100 m 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 time 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 4 x 100 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 picking up a niggle running in the 100 metres earlier that day, and was replaced with Sean Aigboboh.[13][14] He won the 100 m at the 2025 Irish Athletics Championships ahead of Aigbobah.[15] He set a new personal best of 10.20 seconds for the 100 m on 17 August 2025 in Stratford.[16]

Akinola went unbeaten over 60 metres in January 2026.[17] Competing in France on 24 January, he won the 60 m at the Meeting Indoor de Lyon, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting, in 6.65 seconds.[18] The following week, he won at the EAP Glasgow in 6.59 seconds after he and Hungarian Dominik Illovszky were both credited with the same time.[19] A few days later, he ran a new national record of 6.54 in Belgrade.[20] On 1 March, Akinola retained his 60 m title at the Irish Indoor Athletics Championships, finishing in 6.60 seconds.[21]

Selected for the 60 metres at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, in March 2026, he reached the semi-finals with a run of 6.59 seconds.[22][23] In May, he lowered his best for the 100 metres in Stratford to 10.19 seconds.[24] In June, he won over 100 metres at the Josef Odložil Memorial in Prague.[25] Defending his 100 metres title at the Irish Championships on 26 July, he placed second overall behind Benjamin Richardson who won in a new championship record time.[26] Competing at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England in August 2026, he was a semi-finalist in the 100 metres.[27] He also ran in the men's 4 x 100 metres relay at the championships.[28]

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". Independent.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.
  17. ↑ Egan, Elizabeth (Mar 18, 2026). "Strong Irish team looking to build on recent successes at World Indoor Championships". Track Athletes. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  18. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (24 Jan 2026). "Cian McPhillips powers to victory at Indoor Grand Prix in Boston". Independent.ie. Retrieved 25 Jan 2026.
  19. ↑ Broadbent, Chris (31 Jan 2026). "Minshull defeats Doom in Glasgow". European Athletics. Retrieved 31 Jan 2026.
  20. ↑ "World leads for Werro and Sarâboyukov in Belgrade". World Athletics. 11 Feb 2026. Retrieved 12 Feb 2026.
  21. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (1 March 2026). "National Indoor Championships – Day 2: Nick Griggs claims 3000m prize as Kate O'Connor wins long jump gold". Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  22. ↑ "O'Connor headlines Ireland's World Athletics Indoor team". BBC Sport. 10 Mar 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  23. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (20 March 2026). "Bori Akinola heads trio of Irish athletes who advance to semi-finals at World Indoor Championships in Torun". Independent.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  24. ↑ "Stratford Speed GP1". World Athletics. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Results - Josef Odlozil Memorial 2026". Watch Athletics. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Dennehy, Cathal (26 July 2026). "Cian McPhillips shows medal potential for European Championships with classy 800m display to take Irish title". Independent.ie. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "European Athletics Championships". World Athletics. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
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