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It has been an excellent season so far for Edwin Allen High's Tashana Godfrey in the Girls' Class Three 80-metre hurdles, where she has stood out as a cut above her peers. Her dominant performances at various development meets have solidified her position as the one to beat in the event at this month's ISSA-GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs).

Godfrey, who won the Class Four 70m hurdles at Champs last year, has continued her impressive form despite this being her first year in Class Three. She has posted some of the fastest times this season while remaining unbeaten. In fact, she holds the top three times of the season, including a personal best of 11.16 seconds -- achieved twice -- at the Youngster Goldsmith and Central Athletics Championships, both of which are meet records. Additionally, she has clocked 11.22 twice, at the Western Relays and last Saturday's G.C. Foster Classics.

Her closest rival is Wolmer's Girls' Jadae Harris, who clocked 11.32 in her winning run at the Corporate Area Championships last Saturday. Also in contention are Holmwood Technical's Maya Oakley (11.34) and Godfrey's teammate Macaela Gordon (11.35) who will be hoping to challenge her when it matters most. However, Godfrey remains confident in her ability to secure victory.

"I am extremely confident about winning the event at Champs because it would mean a lot to me. This is my first year in Class Three and to come out as a winner against older athletes would be a great achievement," Godfrey shared in a recent interview.

Despite her confidence, she remains cautious, knowing that the hurdles events can be unpredictable -- something she experienced first-hand when she fell at the second barrier at the Central Hurdles and Relays meet, her only disappointment of the season so far.

"I know I'll be the favourite, but I won't take anything for granted or put unnecessary pressure on myself. I don't want to disappoint my fans," she said

Godfrey also credits her training with teammate Gordon for pushing her to new heights.

"Training is really intense, especially working with Macaela. We push each other because we both want to be number one. Our coach always tells us our times in training over specific hurdles and that motivates us to keep improving," she explained.

Looking ahead to Champs, Godfrey has big goals.

"Right now, I'm really focused. In the lead-up to Champs, I'll be training even harder because I want to break the 11-second barrier," she said. She is also eager to compete in the 100m and the 4x100m relay, where she hopes to contribute to her team's success..