BATON ROUGE, La. – World class sprinter Tima Godbless of Nigeria has signed a national-letter-of-intent with the LSU women’s track and field program, coach Dennis Shaver announced Friday.
Godbless, a product of the Community Secondary School Aleibiri in Bebelebiri, Nigeria, will compete for the Tigers this spring.
“Tima is a great talent and someone who will immediately have an impact on our team,” Shaver said. “She has exceptional sprint performances for her young age.”
Godbless had a breakout season this year, as she made her first international senior debut at the African Championships in Mauritius, competing in the 100 meters and the 4 x 100 meters relay.
In the 100 meters semifinal, the 18-year-old ran a personal best of 11.25 seconds, smashing her previous best of 11.48 seconds. In the 100m final, she placed fourth in 11.27 seconds, and she then helped lead Nigeria to a gold medal in the 4 x 100m relay.
At the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, Godbless ran a national U20 record and a new personal best of 11.09 seconds in the 100m semifinal, making her the fourth fastest Nigerian woman this year.