Athletes in the world of track and field these days aren?t just playing and winning, they?re also going big on marketing. 6x World Champion Noah Lyles has especially been proactive on the need for track athletes to market themselves. Heeding his call, an Olympian struck a new deal and joined Lyles? ranks.

Elija Godwin is a US sprinter who is a master of the 400-meter dash. The young American recently joined hands with a $34 billion sports giant and struck a sponsorship deal. A social media post was updated about the new milestone achieved by the American.

Elijah Godwin teams up with Noah Lyles as a three-stripe athlete

The 24-year-old Elija Godwin secured himself a sponsorship from the sports industry shark Adidas. Branding himself as a three-stripe athlete, he will now be joining Noah Lyles and race for the company. Godwin updated his fans and the track community about the news via an Instagram post.

Godwin?s post carried the caption,??You just gotta make a name for yourself ONE more time. Pray for it. Put in the work. Pray for it again. { /// }? The caption also cleverly showcased his allegiance towards Adidas as he included three slashes in the end.? Godwin is an excellent athlete who has already made his mark in the World Championships as well as the Olympics. The 24-year-old won the gold medal at the 2022 WAC in the 4x400m relay and has also secured a bronze at Tokyo in the 4x400m mixed race.

Elija Godwin is a student at the University of Georgia and hails from Covington, Georgia. Interestingly, the Olympian began his sprinting journey to improve and condition himself for football. Taking note of his performance, his coach Kevin Barnes asked him to sprint on an open 400m track. Godwin didn?t disappoint and clocked a time of 47.40 on his very first attempt.

The sponsorship comes as a huge reward for the 24-year-old who was in terrible shape just four years ago. In fact, he suffered a near-lethal experience and barely escaped with his life due to a silver lining around his bad luck.

The shocking accident survived by the young Olympic athlete

Elija Godwin was training on the tracks of his university on 7 May 2019 when a javelin pierced his back. The javelin had penetrated right below his left shoulder blade when he was sprinting backward while training. The emergency staff rushed to his aid and removed the impaled javelin.?

He was immediately taken to the Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center where the end of the javelin was removed from his body. The object had barely missed his heart and major arteries, but it did puncture and collapse his left lung. Godwin said ?The biggest thing I was worrying about was moving my legs, so I kept moving my toes and legs, just making sure they worked,?

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Fortunately, he made a complete recovery and is running once again. In fact, he is at the top of his game and is gradually getting faster and faster. With a new sponsorship in his hands, will he scale new heights just like Noah Lyles?

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