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
You may also like...
Enyimba confirm Udoh in talks with Al Merriekh...
Moses Simon Scores Winning Goal for Nantes on...
Lagos Grassroots Football Buzzing As U-13 JOF Kids...
Moses Simon Enjoying Life At Nantes
Man U out of League Cup
How Drogba Helped To Stop Civil War In...

Conspiracy Theory: Three Most Corrupt And Now Enemies Of Ndi Abia State, Former Governors Orji Uzor Kalu, Theodore Orji And Okezie lkpeazu In A Fruitless Meeting
Chelle credits players for success mindset
Godfred sets new PB in Minnesota Open
AFCON 2025: All you need to know about Nigeria, Morocco semi-final clash
Opponents fear Eagles now – Osayi-Samuel
Morocco - Nigeria Semi - Final Game : Super Eagles, Let The Game Start!
Super Eagles Attacker Awarded The Man Of The Match Award After His Excellent Display
AFCON 2025: Algerian players attack referee after 2-0 loss to Nigeria
“Semi-final no go easy” - Oshoala sparks fear over what Morocco could try against Nigeria
Osimhen has been warned - Nigerian lawmaker applauds Super Eagles striker after showing team spirit
AFCON 2025: Super Eagles suffocate Algeria, strike fear into Moroccan hearts ahead of blockbuster semi
Osimhen Reveals Main Quality That Earned Super Eagles 2-0 Win Over Algeria In AFCON Quarter Final
Rangers International going, going . . . (63,459 views)
Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (54,746 views)
Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (52,647 views)
Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (52,314 views)
Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (52,242 views)
Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (52,157 views)
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (52,015 views)
NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (51,576 views)
Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (50,756 views)
Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (49,283 views)
Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (47,672 views)
John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (47,143 views)