World Athletics U20 Championships: Nwankwo Handed ‘Group of Death’ as Godwin Faces Tough Men’s 100m Semi-final
Nigeria’s hopes of securing places in the 100m finals at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon have received contrasting boosts after the release of the semi-final draw, with Chigozie Rosemary Nwankwo landing in arguably the toughest women’s race of the competition while Tejiri Godwin faces a stern test in the men’s event.
Nwankwo, who qualified automatically after finishing third in her opening-round heat in 11.57 seconds, has been drawn in Semi-final Three, a race loaded with some of the fastest sprinters in the world this year.
The 16-year-old Nigerian will run from lane two against world U20 leader Shanoya Mikalia Douglas of Jamaica, who owns a personal best and season’s best of 10.98 seconds, Germany’s Emma Goretzka (11.19), American Mariah Maxwell (11.11) and Guyana’s Athaleyha Hinckson (11.10).
Czech Republic’s Klára Kaděrová, Poland’s Maja Gondek, Switzerland’s Mara Schwitter and Italy’s Carlotta Suppini complete what many would consider the “group of death.”
Only the first three athletes in each of the three semi-finals will progress to the final, leaving Nwankwo with little margin for error if she is to keep Nigeria’s dream of a first women’s 100m world U20 title since 1986 alive.
In the men’s event, Tejiri Godwin has been placed in the opening semi-final and will run from lane three. The Nigerian will line up alongside South Africa’s Marko Ferreira, who owns the fastest personal best in the field at 10.04 seconds, American Kyler Brown (10.12), Canada’s Wyatt Lee (10.22), China’s Dai Hongyu (10.23) and Australia’s Uwezo Lubenda (10.33).
Godwin enters the race with a personal best of 10.20 seconds and will need one of the top three finishing positions to book a place in the final, with no fastest loser spots available at this stage of the championships.
The women’s 100m semi-finals are scheduled to begin at 6:05 p.m. local time, while the men’s semi-finals get underway at 6:30 p.m., with Nigeria hoping both Nwankwo and Godwin can rise to the occasion and secure places among the world’s elite junior sprinters.
