Elija Godwin facts for kids
Godwin at the 2022 World Athletics Championships
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1999 Covington, Georgia, U.S. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 200 m, 400 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elija Godwin, born on July 1, 1999, is an American athlete. He is known for running fast in races, especially the 400 meters. He has won medals at big events like the Olympics and World Championships.
Contents
Elija Godwin's Running Career
Elija Godwin grew up in Covington, Georgia. He went to the University of Georgia.
Starting Out in Track
At first, Elija only ran track to get in shape for American football. He mostly ran short races like the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. His coach, Kevin Barnes, noticed how fast he ran parts of his races. The coach suggested he try running a full 400-meter race. In his very first 400-meter race, Elija ran it in 47.40 seconds.
A Difficult Injury
On May 7, 2019, Elija had a serious accident during a training session. While running backward sprints, he was accidentally hit by a javelin. The javelin caused injuries to his back and shoulder. It also made his left lung collapse. Emergency workers helped him right away. They cut off part of the javelin before he was taken to the hospital. Surgeons then removed the rest of it.
Becoming a Top Runner
After recovering from his injury, Elija continued to improve.
- On May 15, 2021, he ran his fastest 400-meter race yet, finishing in 44.61 seconds. This time was good enough to qualify him for the Olympics.
- He competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 400 meters. He made it to the final race.
- Even though he placed sixth in the final, he was chosen to be part of the U.S. team for the 4 × 400-meter relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
- At the Tokyo Olympics, Elija won a bronze medal. He was part of the American Mixed 4 × 400 meters relay team.
Success at World Championships
Elija Godwin has also had great success at the World Championships.
- In 2022, he competed at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
- He won a bronze medal in the mixed 4 × 400-meter relay.
- He then won a gold medal in the men's 4 × 400-meter relay. He ran the first part of the race for his team. His teammates included Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon, and Champion Allison.
- In March 2025, he won another gold medal. This was in the men's 4 × 400 meters relay at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
- He also competed in the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China in May 2025.
Elija Godwin's Life Outside of Running
Elija Godwin's mother, Ginger Luby, was working when she heard about his javelin injury in 2019. Elija has two siblings: a brother named Okon Godwin and a sister named Kyaundra Ward. He finished high school at Newton High School in Covington, Georgia, in 2018. The city council of Covington even honored him. They declared September 10, 2022, as "Elija Godwin" day.
See also
In Spanish: Elija Godwin para niños
