Godwin leads Team USA to 4x400m final at world championships
EUGENE, Ore. — Current Bulldog Elija Godwin ran the first leg of the winning team in the 4×400 meters relay in the qualifying round at the World Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.
Godwin handed over Vernon Norwood before Bryce Deadmon and Trevor Bassitt finished Team USA’s four rounds with a winning time of 2:58.96. America will now go for the world title on Sunday at 10:35 p.m. ET.
The Bulldogs also finished the first five events of the decathlon in fourth (Team USA’s Kyle Garland4,413 points), 11e (Estonia Johannes Erm4,264) and 12e (Estonian Maicel Uibo, 4,224 years old) when he was a volunteer assistant and fellow Estonian Janek Oiglane is in 14e (4,193). Garland and Erm and the returning Bulldogs while Uibo was a two-time NCAA champion for Georgia in the past.
Current and former competitors from Georgia have already combined for a gold medal and a bronze medal. Complementing her two consecutive Olympic gold medals and two silver medals in previous world competitions, Shaunae Miller-Uibo ran a world-leading 49.11 on lane three of the 400m final as the closest of the other seven finalists ran a 49.60 on Friday.
On June 15, Godwin, a native of Covington, Georgia, ran the opening round of Team USA’s 4x400m mixed relay as the foursome ran in 3:10.16 to claim a bronze medal. Godwin passed the baton to Allyson Felix, a 19-time World Championship medalist who officially retired after the race.
The competition began last Friday at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon and will continue through Sunday. The Bulldog contingent represents Team USA, Antigua, Bahamas, Brazil, Estonia, Greece, Jamaica, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The World Championships will air (NBC/CNBC) and stream (NBC Sports/Peacock) at different times over the 10 days of action.
Garland surged early in the decathlon with a fourth-place finish in the shot put after her best effort ran 15.24 metres/50 feet. He returned to the high jump and kept his tradition of clearing 7ft after clearing the bar at 2.14m/7-0.25 for second place overall.
Erm started his first day with the best long jump of 2022 with a score of 7.37m/24-2.25. Then Erm threw the longest shot put of his life (15.01m/49-3). He saved his best performance the next day with a career best 47.02 in the 400m for fourth place in the event.
Uibo started his day with a season-best 11.14 in the 100m a day after his wife, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, won gold in the 400m. He continued with a personal record in the shot put (15.17 m / 49-9.25). Uibo was one spot behind Garland for third in the high jump with a 2.11m/6-11 clearance. He completed his first five events after clocking a season-best 50.38 on his final lap of the day.
Oiglane also set a season best (7.26m/23-10) in the long jump on his first day. He equaled his personal best in the high jump with a safe clearance of 2.05m/6-8.75. Oiglane concluded his first day with a season best time of 49.16 in the 400m.
Former Lady Bulldog All-American Chanice Porter also finished 22n/a in the long jump during the qualification round. Jamaican Porter, who is now an employee of the UGA Athletic Association, ran 6.29m/20-7.75, missing Sunday’s final.
The decathletes will start the final day of competition with the 110m hurdles at 12.35pm with the discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m coming in order after the hurdles.
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