Ofoku also seeking a place in the final as World U20 Athletics Championships 100m semis takes centre stage Wednesday
New Nigeria U20 record holder Tima Godbless will have to overcome two formidable athletes, USA’s Mia Brahe-Pedersen and Jamaica’s Serena Cole to book her place in the final of the 100m final at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia.
The Nigerian is sandwiched between the American and the Jamaican in lane four of the third semifinal heat with only two going automatically to the final which takes place later Wednesday night (early Thursday morning in Nigeria).
Godbless ran a new 11.09 seconds lifetime best in the first round, the fastest time ever ran by a Nigerian in the competition and the fastest opening round heats in the history of the championships.
The 2021 World U20 Championships 100m semifinalist will be seeking to go one better this time and also break the 11.03 seconds Championships record set by Twanisha Terry of the USA at the semifinal stage of the competition four years ago in Tampere, Finland.
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The semifinal stage will not be for Godbless alone as Praise Ofoku, who placed fifth a year ago in Nairobi, Kenya will be seeking to make it second straight appearance in the World U20 championships 100m final.
The 19 year old will run in the second semifinal heat and will have to overcome the challenges of Netherlands’ rising star, N’Ketia Seedo who scorched to a new 11.16 seconds lifetime best to win heat six of the first round heats of the event on Tuesday and Tina Clayton, the defending champion who ran 11.38 seconds to qualify for Wednesday’s semifinal.
Clayton is the only U20 athlete in Cali who has broken 11 seconds this year when she ran 10.96 seconds to win the Jamaican U20 championships last June.
