Nigeria’s Charles Edward Godfred endured a tough introduction to the World Athletics Championships on Monday after failing to make it out of the men’s long jump qualifiers in Tokyo.
Godfred, 21, competing on the global stage for the first time, could only manage a best leap of 7.79m, finishing 13th in his group and failing to qualify for the final. The automatic qualifying mark was 8.15m, a distance Godfred had targeted after coming in with a season’s best of 8.10m.
It was a frustrating evening for the reigning Nigerian champion. He fouled his first attempt, recovered slightly with 7.68m on his second, and stretched to 7.79m on his last jump, but it still wasn’t enough.
At the other end, Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, the reigning Olympic and world champion, led Group A with 8.17m, while Jamaica’s Nikaoli Williams (8.15m) and Spain’s Jaime Guerra (8.13m) also booked their spots. Group B was even fiercer, with Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle soaring to 8.28m and Cuba’s Lester Lescay hitting a season’s best 8.21m.
For Godfred, a former African U-20 gold medallist and student-athlete at the University of Minnesota, the result is a reminder of how unforgiving the senior stage can be. He still holds the school’s long jump record at 8.14m, and his camp believes this setback is part of the learning curve.
Nigeria’s campaign in Tokyo has been a mixed bag. Ese Brume and Prestina Ochonogor both crashed out in the women’s long jump, while Rosemary Chukwuma failed to get past the women’s 100m semifinals. Kayinsola Ajayi did reach the men’s 100m final but could only manage sixth.
So far, the high point has been Tobi Amusan’s silver medal in the 100m hurdles, adding another historic line to Nigeria’s tally at the World Championships.
But there is still hope. Ezekiel Nathaniel, 22, powered into the men’s 400m hurdles semifinals with a composed 48.37s run to win his heat. Ranked fifth in the world and unbeaten in NCAA competition this year, he is chasing history as Nigeria has never won a World Championships medal in the event.
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