Ajoke Odumosu, the national record holder in 400m hurdles with 54.80 who arrived Berlin with so much hope for at least a place in the final of her event sundenly found herself fighting two battles here. One was to keep her dream and the other was a battle for life. Her dream crashed but she kept her life and Nigeria is better for it.

AFN President Solomon Ogba said yesterday that the inability of Nigerian athletes to even get to the medal range should not demolarise the Nigerian team but should be seen as a wake up call to shoulder greater challenges.

Lee Evans has an idea of what he wants to do in Nigeria. He is not going to rely on U.S-based athletes to represent Nigeria in international meets.

With Obinna Metu declining to run the 200m and the ease with which Nigerian athletes are facing the reality of their true position against the best in the world, FLOP is the word for Nigeria here.

But Keshi refuses to accept that the best his side can aim for now is a place at the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola instead. Finishing third in the group, which also includes Benin and Sudan, would put Mali into the frame for Angola.