Cali 2022: Godbless, Ofoku set to restore normal service for Team Nigeria

All eyes will be on sprinters Praise Ofoku and Tima Godbless Tuesday to restore normal service of good performances after the opening day of false start by Team Nigeria at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia.

Ofoku and Godbless, finalist and semifinalist respectively in the 100m event at the last edition of the championships should be able to scale the first hurdle to the semifinal after the opening round heats on Tuesday.

Ofoku has been drawn to run in heat three of the first round heats and should be one of the three automatic qualifiers with South Africa’s Viwe Jingqi while Godbless, the fastest Nigerian U20 athletes this year at 11.25 seconds should also cruise to the next round as the fastest in the heat four.

In the 400m men’s heat, Bamidele Ajayi should also make it to the semifinals as one of the four automatic qualifiers from the first heat of the first round races.

Team Nigeria had an opening day to forget after Adekalu Fakorede in the men’s 100m and the 4x400m mixed relay team failed to start and Nicholas Mabilo crashed out in the opening round of the 100m event.