In 2008, he won the long jump at the world indoor championships and silver at the Olympic games.

In July 2009, he set a new African record in long jump, 8.50m in Madrid in an IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting where he finished second behind Fabrice Lapierre.

The previous African record, 8.46, was held by Cheikh Toure of Senegal and set in 1997.

[3] For the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he switched back to the triple jump, winning the gold medal.

[2] Phakiso Mokoena, father of Godfrey, was quoted in a local newspaper "Godfrey initially found it difficult to qualify for the Olympics, but has through hard work endured and finished second in the world."