Delta 2022: Tima Godbless runs new 200m PB to complete a sprint double
Nigeria U20 record holder sets sight on 2023 World Championships standard
Reigning Nigeria U20 record holder in the 100m, Tima Godbless ran a huge 23.07 lifetime best to successfully complete a sprint double at the ongoing 21st National Sports Festival at the Stephen Keshi stadium, Asaba.
Godbless had on Monday expectedly won the 100m gold and added the 200m title Thursday evening to repeat the feat performed by reigning Nigeria 100m champion, Grace Nzubechi Nwokocha at the 20th edition of the Festival last year in Benin city, Edo state.
Delta state teen sensation, Faith Okwose also set a new personal best (23.62) to come second with Aladeloye Adetutu of Rivers state third in 23.66.
Seven out of the eight women that lined up for the final came to the Festival with a 24+ seconds personal best with Godbless the only one with a sub-24 seconds personal best (23.42).
However, at the end of the race, four of the athletes including Okwose, Aladetutu, Oke Opeyemi Deborah (23.76) and Eyakpobeyan Justina (23.78) returning home with new lifetime bests.
Meanwhile, Godbless says she has set her sight firmly on making the entry standard in the 100m and 200m for the 2023 World Athletics Championships which holds next August in Budapest, Hungary.
The 18 year old who will be running as a student athlete for the Louisiana State University (LSU), Texas, USA next year believes her switch to the USA to run in the NCAA circuit and Championships will greatly help her in achieveing her targets.
Godbless will need to be a hundreth of a second faster than her 11.09 personal best (11.08) to make the cut in the 100m and legally run inside 23 seconds (22.60) in the 200m to qualify.
Once described as a very talented athlete capable of running a 10.8 by former World Athletics lecturer and course director, Rotimi Obajimi, Godbless has been described as the next big thing that will come out of Nigeria.
LSU head coach, Dennis Shaver describes the pretty Godbless as a world class athlete.
‘Tima is a great talent and someone who will immediately have an impact on our team,’ Shaver to the school’s official website. ‘She has exceptional sprint performances for her young age.’
