By Daily Sports Nigeria on January 12, 2026
Charles Godfred produced a standout sprint performance as the University of Minnesota track and field team dominated the Minnesota Open with 16 event victories on Saturday, which signals a strong start to their 2026 indoor season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Godfred, a two-time Nigeria national long jump champion, won the men’s 60m after clocking lifetime-best times of 6.65s in the heats and 6.62s in the final, improving on his previous personal best of 6.70s.
The mark places him among the top two sprinters nationally this season behind only Farooque Aman’s 6.58s at the Aspire Dome, Doha and underlined his growing versatility beyond his primary long jump discipline.
The Gophers’ dominance on the day was also anchored by Hadley Streit, who delivered a personal best of 22.82m in the weight throw. The effort was her first improvement since February 2025 and lifted her to third in the NCAA rankings this season, as well as fourth on Minnesota’s all-time list.
Minnesota’s strong showing combined contributions from experienced athletes and a number of unattached competitors, allowing the hosts to control the meet across several disciplines.
Godfred’s sprint success added further depth to a profile already distinguished by major honours in the long jump, including African U-20 gold in 2023, back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2024 and 2025, and qualification for the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Before joining Minnesota, the Nigerian recorded a 100m time of 10.42s and a long jump of 7.86m, which he used to claim the continental U-20 gold, and also finished third in the 100m at the African Golden League meeting in Abuja.
Godfred and the Gophers will look to build on their momentum when they compete at the Graduate Classic in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Friday and Saturday, before returning to the school later in the month for the Jack Johnson Classic.
Source Punch Ng
Posted January 12, 2026
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