By Ben Efe

Hurdler Amaechi Morton was all smiles after he won the 400m hurdles and 4x400m gold at the 2012 African championships and it seems all the bitter memories of 2009 with the Nigerian team has been banished forever.

Morton made a last dash to the Olympics trials and was able to win his race despite having little rest after he arrived in Calabar at  about 1.00am on the day of his event. During the African Championships, he proved that he was an athlete to watch in the future.

Morton said that is main aim was to do well at the Olympics and has decided to close his eyes to the commotion usually associated with the Nigerian camp.

“For me it is going to be focus and focus and nothing else. I know that things are a bit rough with the Nigerian team, but I’ m not going to let that affect me,” said Morton.

Morton first wore the Nigerian colours in 2009 when he was selected as one of the athletes to the world championships in Berlin, Germany. He had bitter tales and regrets, but his mother talked him out of turning his back on Nigeria.

Nigerian athletics will rise again, says Cuban coach

Following the impressive showing made by Nigerian athletes at the just concluded African Championships in Port Novo, Benin Republic, Jorge Diaz, a Cuban coach has predicted that Nigeria will regain its lost glory in world athletics.

Diaz worked in Nigeria as part of a cultural exchange between his country and Nigeria in the mid ’90s and he was instrumental to the rise of athletes like Gloria Alozie and Chioma Ajunwa to Olympics heights. Ajunwa won a long jump gold at the Atlanta’96, while Alozie the 100m hurdles won silver at the Sydney 2000 Olympics

Diaz, who is now on IAAF contract working in Senegal, submitted that Nigeria has too many athletics potentials and what is left is for officials to come up with the right programmes. “When I was here, I saw with my own eyes what Nigeria has. There are potentials everyw-here and it will be very good if they can concentrate of grassroots development of athletes, it will partly solve the problem,” he said.

Diaz, who at one time was Cuban head athletics coach, stated that he would love to return to Nigeria and help in this regard.

“Well who knows? If my contract is over with the IAAF, I will love to return. I still remember Alozie, Ajunwa, Atede, Moses Oyiki, Ime Akpan, it was a fantastic group,” said Diaz.