By Olugbolade Ogboro-Cole
The baton flew. The clock stopped. And Ekiti State stood tall on the world stage!
In a breathtaking final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team snatched Bronze, finishing in a blistering 38.09 seconds. Leading the charge was Ekiti-born speedster, Adekalu Nicholas Fakorede, famously nicknamed “KaluTheBullet” by the Technical Advisor on Youth Inclusion to the Ekiti State Governor, Hon. Ayo Ojo, for his explosive anchor leg that pushed Nigeria past fierce rivals to secure a podium finish.
This victory wasn’t luck—it was a strategy. Reports have it that this success is directly rooted in the massive sports development blueprint rolled out by Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji.
Governor Oyebanji’s administration has aggressively invested in grassroots athletics, turning local tracks into talent factories. Today, that investment paid its first global dividend on Australian soil.
But “KaluTheBullet” almost never fired.
Behind Fakorede’s world-class performance is the relentless drive of Hon. Ayo Ojo, the Technical Advisor to the Governor on Youth Inclusion. Ojo did not just manage Fakorede—he molded him.
“Three years ago, he was running on worn-out soles in Ado-Ekiti,” a source told JIROLTV. “Ayo Ojo fought tooth and nail for his inclusion, funded his camp trips, and coined the nickname ‘KaluTheBullet’ to keep his ego in check and his eyes on the prize.”
Ojo’s tough-love mentorship—coupled with Governor Oyebanji’s state-funded infrastructure—turned a village runner into a Commonwealth medalist.
A bronze medal is good. But the foundation is legendary.
Ekiti did not just win a medal today—it proved that when Governor Biodun Oyebanji provides the pitch and Hon. Ayo Ojo provides the push, Ekiti youths will conquer the world,re-affirming the mantra of the Ekiti State Governor”When the youth calls … Ekiti says I’M IN”
According to his official World Athletics profile published on August 1, 2026, Adekalu Nicholas Fakorede was born on June 28, 2003, and is now 23 years old.
The Nigerian sprinter holds a Commonwealth Games bronze medal to his name, has placed in the top eight at both the World U20 Championships and the African Championships, and is also a national champion.
His personal bests include a scorching 9.98 seconds in the 100 metres, achieved on June 22, 2026, and a 4×100 metres relay time of 38.12 seconds set on August 1, 2026—just three-hundredths of a second slower than the bronze-winning time in Melbourne. Indoors, he has clocked 6.56 seconds for the 60 metres and 21.16 seconds for the 200 metres.
For the 2026 season, Fakorede’s 4x100m relay performance of 38.12 ranks him 20th globally, his 100m time of 9.98 places him 38th in the world, and his 60m best of 6.58 sees him ranked 75th, while his 200m marks of 20.74 outdoors and 21.45 indoors place him 415th and 530th respectively on the world lists.
