MCDONOUGH, Ga. — While the scars are still visible, mentally and spiritually Elija Godwin said he’s in a better place.
“I needed that spiritual part of my life. That balance. I felt like that’s what helped more than anything else. To get through this whole process, to be able to get back on the track, to be able to start training again,” Godwin explained.
The sophomore sprinter has been more determined than ever to compete again. For the past several months he’s been doing intense rehab.
“In August, he started back on the track and he’s back to his pre-injury speed,” Godwin’s mother, Ginger Luby, said.
Godwin said his rehab has been centered around speed and endurance.
“The physical part of it…that’s really like the easy part. I really don’t mind any of the exercises that I got to do to get my body right,” he mentioned. “My rehab isn’t separate from my training it’s like combined. So, as I’m rehabbing, I’m also getting better, faster and stronger."
He’s set to run in his first meet since his injury Saturday at Clemson University.
Less than a year ago, we first met Godwin in the hospital.
May 2019, the University of Georgia sprinter accidentally backed into a javelin while doing a backward sprint drill on the infield. He suffered a collapsed lung but successfully made it through surgery at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center.
“He’s a fighter,” Luby stated.
Godwin said what made the recovery easier was the support he got from family, friends, and people he didn’t know.
“It just felt so genuine. You would think people just wanted to see what was going [on] but no they just want to know if you’re okay. So, I tried [ to reach] back out to everybody, anybody that messaged me I tried to message them back,” he said with a smile on his face.
Now, a lot of his consideration is centered towards Saturday’s meet.
“Just to be out there to run in less than a year of your injury is amazing,” Luby mentioned.
“So, no matter what happens whether it goes good, bad I appreciate the opportunity to be out there,” Godwin said. He will compete in the 400- and 200-meter dash at Clemson this Saturday.
He said he wants to continue to inspire people and wants to be a counselor one day.
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