Edwin Allen’s Godfrey the quickest of them all

EDWIN ALLEN High School’s Tashana Godfrey has had an excellent season in the Girls’ Class 3 80-metre hurdles, proving to be a cut above her peers.

Dominant performances at various development meets have solidified her position as the one to beat in the event.

Godfrey, who won the Class 4 70m hurdles at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs) last year, has posted some of the fastest times this season and has remained unbeaten.

In fact, she holds the top three times of the season, including a personal best of 11.16 seconds — achieved twice — at the Youngster Goldsmith and Central Athletics Championships, both of which are meet records. Additionally, she has clocked 11.22 seconds twice, at the Western Relays and at the G.C. Foster Classics.

Her closest competitor is Wolmer’s Girls’ Jadae Harris, who clocked 11.32 seconds in her winning run at the Corporate Area Championships.

Also in contention are Holmwood Technical’s Maya Oakley, with a season’s best of 11.34, and Godfrey’s teammate Macaela Gordon (11.35).

Godfrey is confident that those challenges will come to nought.

“I am extremely confident about winning the event at Champs because it would mean a lot to me. This is my first year in Class 3, and to come out as a winner against older athletes would be a great achievement,” Godfrey shared in a recent interview.

Despite her confidence, she remains cautious, in particular with the knowledge that hurdles can be unpredictable — something she experienced firsthand when she fell at the second barrier at the Central Hurdles and Relays meet, her only disappointment of the season.

“I know I’ll be the favourite, but I won’t take anything for granted or put unnecessary pressure on myself. I don’t want to disappoint my fans.”

Godfrey also credits training with teammate Gordon for pushing her to new heights.

“Training is really intense, especially working with Macaela. We push each other because we both want to be number one. Our coach always tells us our times in training over specific hurdles, and that motivates us to keep improving,” she explained.

Looking ahead to Champs, Godfrey has big goals.

“Right now, I’m really focused. In the lead-up to Champs, I’ll be training even harder because I want to break the 11-second barrier,” she said.

She is also eager to compete in the 100 metres and the 4x100m relay, where she hopes to contribute to her team’s success.