Ofili opens 2025 campaign with 22.34, Godbless blazes to 22.55 lifetime best to punch Tokyo 2025 World Championships ticket
Onwuzurike opens with 20.50 in the 200m
Favour Ofili storms to a 22.34 finish behind reigning Olympic 100m champion, Julien Alfred (21.88) at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida to get her 2025 campaign to a brilliant start. Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke was fifth in 22.57
The Paris 2024 Olympics 200m finalist will be hoping to move on from there and target another global appearance in the 200m, this time at the 20th World Athletics Championships this September in Tokyo, Japan.
Ofili ended last season with a 22.05 personal season’s best, an improvement on the 22.11 she ran indoors in 2023 while a year earlier, she stormed to a 21.96 finish to make history as the first Nigerian to break 22 seconds in the half lap event.
At the same arena, Louisiana State University sophomore, Tima Godbless clocked a personal-best time of 22.55 seconds (-0.3 m/s) to win the 200m invite.
It is the fourth fastest time in the Collegiate circuit so far this year and also books her a ticket to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 20-year-old thus join Ofili as the second Nigerian woman to secure automatic qualification for the event in Tokyo. The qualification standard is 22.57.
Godbless’ colleague at LSU, Ella Onojuvwevwo did not start in her heat while another Nigerian, Precious Nzeakor ran 23.41 to finish third in the second heat and 10th in the final classification.
Meanwhile, former World U20 200m champion, Udodi Onwuzurike ran 20.50 to finish second behind reigning African champion, Joseph Fahnbulleh (22.07) of Liberia.
