Bori Akinola
Irish sprinter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Akinola at the 2026 European Championships | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Toluwabori Akinola |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born | 6 August 2001 |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Sprint |
| Club | UCD AC |
| Coached by | Adam McMullen |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | 60m: 6.54 (2026) NR 100m: 10.19 (2026) 200m: 21.42 (2025) |
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 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]
Personal life
He studied computer science at University College Dublin, and later worked as an iOS engineer.[2]