Wagga sprinting sensation Godfrey Okerenyang is looking forward to the biggest moment of his sporting career on Saturday.
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The 16-year-old has qualified for the national final of the Gatorade 100 series, for the fastest under 18 amateur footballers in the country.
Godfrey won the state final in Sydney last month and will compete in the national final in Melbourne on Saturday morning.
A top two finish in the final will book Godfrey a spot in the AFL grand final sprint, with the final to be held at half-time at the MCG.
“It’s going to be so good. It will be pretty big, being televised and with all the people there,” Godfrey said.
Godfrey has set his sights on making the half-time final. He has looked at the times of previous winners and believes his best performance will be more than competitive.
“Mostly just to make the half-time final,” Godfrey said of his goal.
“Then try to get a top three finish in that.”
While not an official athletics meet, Godfrey rates Saturday’s sprint as the biggest moment of his blossoming career.
“I’ve already raced at the nationals, to make Youth Olympics, and the Oceania Championships but this is probably the biggest with all the people that will watch it,” he said.
“Not only for me but for the club too. I feel really privileged.”
A Coolamon player, Godfrey will don the green and white of the Hoppers on Saturday.
He will head into the big day in good form on the back of a strong performance at the CIS state athletics carnival in Sydney this week.
He won both the 100m and 200m sprint. He recorded a time of 11.40 seconds for the 100m but was not happy with his performance.
“I had a bad start and I slowed down at the end because I wasn’t happy with how I ran,” he said.
Godfrey has learnt who he will be up against in the national under 18 final and is not the only promising sprinter among the finalists.
He has competed against a couple before and beaten them both, but knows he will have to run his best to book his place in the main event.
“A couple of them will be hard to beat,” he said.
As part of the experience, Godfrey will attend his first AFL grand final. A Swans supporter, he said he will be cheering on West Coast on the day.
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