Unless there is a massive turn around in the fortunes of Nigerian relay teams, the chances of the country winning medals at the London 2012 Olympics remain slim.

With only two months left to the Games, the men and women relay teams have not registered any big performance that will assure Nigerians of a medal. The men’s 4x100m and the 4x400m squads are not even in the scope of qualification for the Games, while the women who are in the qualification zone are not in the top five.

However, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria president, Solomon Ogba  argue that there is still room for improvement, even as other countries are battling to make sure their teams remain in the top 16 qualification bracket. “It’s too early to be bothering about a place in the top 16. By July I’m positively optimistic that our athletes will come up with the right performances.

“Apart from the boys we have in camp, there are others who are doing well. By the time we run our trials in June and go for the African Championships, there will be some level of improvements,” said the AFN boss.

Since 2004 when the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m produced two bronze medals in the Athens Olympics, they have been unable to live up to the spark even in Africa. The best time of  the 4x100m team currently is 39.48seconds compared to Ghana and South Africa who have booked a place in the top 16 of the Olympics with 38.94 and 38.99 seconds respectively.

The men’s 4x400m are maintaining the 19th position in the world this is based on their 3.04.99 performance in Calabar last year.  The women’s 4x100m won a bronze at the 2008 Olympics Beijing but on paper at the moment, they will even be lucky to run in the final eight in London 2012. They are rated 6th with their 42.74 seconds achieved last year at the World Championships. Their 4x400m counterparts are ranked 9th with the best time of 3.29.55 seconds.

Egbunike needs miracle, Urhobo declares

 Former Athletics Federation of Nigeria president and national coach, Tony Urhobo has said that it will take a miracle for Nigeria to put up a good showing at the London 2012 Olympics based on the  fire brigade approach preparations.

He was speaking against the background of Nigeria camping a group of athletes who have seen their best times in Atlanta, USA, under the watchful eyes of former African 400m champion, Innocent Egbunike.

“There is no change in our mode of preparations. It is still the same pattern of doing a rush job and at the end we come up with nothing.

“We have always had great athletes but it is the way we go about it that have always prevented them from achieving their full potentials.

“Right now in Atlanta, it will take a miracle for Egbunike to bring out the best from the athletes who are there. I know that some of them are over the age of 30 and I don’t know what we should expect from them.

Montsho ready for Richard challenge

African leading 400m runner, Amantle Montsho will have to prove that her winning the world title last year in Daegu, South Korea was not a fluke when she meets 2009 champion, Sanya Richards-Ross June 2  in the Eugene, USA  Samsung Diamond league.

The Botswana-born  Montsho won the gold medal in Daegu after a series of years knocking on the door and not giving up  The gold in Daegu was her first, and still only global medal at any level as she rose to No. 1 in 2011.  Her best is 49.56 from last year.

But in an Olympic year when many of the world’s very best looking to move ahead, Montsho will have to come up with a performance that will send warning to the likes Richards-Ross.

The American  was  among those vanquished in Daegu by Montsho last year, and she  is looking to return to No. 1 form.  She proved she is once again healthy by winning the World Indoor Championships gold medal in Istanbul in March.

Her best this year is 50.11 which is the world second fastest time behind the 49.99 seconds ran by Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills. Montsho has ran 50.52 this season