Nigeria's quest for a return to the summit of African Athletics via the 17th edition of the African Championships in Athletics begins this morning inside the Nyayo National stadium in Niarobi, Kenya.

The championship is also serving as selection trials for the IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup (formerly IAAF Wolrd Cup in Athletics) holding in Split, Croatia from September 4 to 5 this year. The first two in each event except some middle and long distance events will automatically qualify for the season-ending global event.

For record purposes, Nigeria has won seven out of the 16 editions held so far with the 11th edition of the championships held in Dakar, Senegal in 1998 marking the last time Nigeria emerged as the overall winners of the competition with 10 gold, seven silver and three bronze medals.

Twelve years on, the country has failed to wrestle the mantle of leadership from South Africa who have won the last four editions in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.

Nigerians are however hoping the trio of sprinter cum jumper, Blessing Okagbare, sprint hurdler, Seun Adigun and quartermile hurdler Ajoke Odumosu could spearhead the big fight for supremacy which seems to have been narrowed down to Nigeria and South Africa.

While Okagbare is not only guaranteed the 100m,200m and long jump gold medals following her peerless status as the best the African continent has produced in the last two years, Odumosu and Adigun are also primus interpares in their respective events.

Okagbare holds a personal and season's best of 11.03 in the 100m, the fastest time returned by an African so far this year. She is also the African leader in the long jump at 6.88m.A repeat of both the time and the mark in Nairobi will not only guarantee her the gold but also the championships' record held by her compatriots, Mary Onyali (11.05) and Chioma Ajunwa (6.78) respectively.

Odumosu is also the fastest African woman so far this year in the 400m hurdles. Only last weekend she set a new 400m hurdles national record of 54.68 which has shot her up to the number eight in the IAAF top list. With her form, she looks good for a repeat of her triumph at the 16th edition of the Championships held two years ago in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is also guaranteed a place in the Nigerian women's 1600 relay team.

In the 100m hurdles, the duo of Seun Adigun (13.16), the Kinesiology graduate from the University of Houston in Texas, USA and another USA-based athlete, Jessica Ohanaja will attempt to make it a Nigerian 1 and 2 in the event following their ranking as the best two in the continent so far this year. In Senegal's Faye Gnima who holds a season's best of 13.60 (13.21 wind), a spoiler could emerge for the Nigerians.

For the men, sprinter, Ogho-Oghene Egwero will lead the chase for gold in the absence of reigning African record holder in the 100m (9.85),Olusoji Adetokunboh Fasuba who two years ago in Addis Ababa ran into African Championships history books by becoming the first sprinter to win the 100m gold three times back-to-back.

Egwero currently ranks third to Zambia's Gerald Phiri and Ghana's old war-horse, Ghana's Azziz Zakari in the men's 100m ranking this year but the Nigerian is gradually proving he has the big occasion temperament needed to succeed at the top level. He will be assisted by reigning Nigerian champion in the 100m,Obinna Metu who has the knack for delivering only at the biggest stage.

The Nigerians will also parade British-born Tosin Oke whose 17.05 personal and season's best in the triple jump is bettered only by South Africa's Tumelo Thagane (17.09). Oke will be hoping to draw inspiration from compatriot and one of the biggest triple jumpers the continent has ever produced, Ajayi Agbebaku who won a long jump/triple jump double at the inaugural edition of the championships in 1979.

In the 110m hurdles, USA-based Selim Nurudeen, with a season's best of 13.67,the third fastest time returned by an African so far this year will attempt to restore Nigeria back to the forefront of the event the country dominated in the 1990s while in the long jump, American collegiate star, Stanley Gbagbeke will need to jump farther that the 8.27m national record set by Yusuf Ali who clocks 50 years on earth today to win the championships' gold in 1989 if he is desirous of following in the footsteps of such Nigerian icons as Ali, Agbebaku, Paul Emordi, Ayodele Aladefa and Obinna Eregbu, past winners of the event.