crash 12 days ago, is expected to be back in the water by the end of the week.

National swimming coach Gareth Davies said he had been told by doctors treating the teenager he would be able to resume training for the Commonwealth Games once stitches had been removed.

That training will initially revolve around ocean swimming to avoid putting pressure on the injury with tumble turns and pushing off the walls that would be necessary in a pool.

If all goes to plan, he should be back in the pool by the end of the month.

And then? "We're hoping that by the third week of August he should have proved his fitness. He's a very important part of the team,'' said Davies.

Cowen's accident, which put his participation in September's Games in doubt, came less than a week after superb performances in the Island's national championships in which he reached qualifying standards for Malaysia in 100m and 200m freestyle events.

But it is as a member of the Bermuda relay team that his absence would have been most keenly felt.

"Without him we haven't got a relay team, simple as that,'' added Davies.

"Obviously it was very disappointing having swum brilliantly in the national championships. But it was a very serious injury and our first priority was to get him well and make sure the leg heals properly.'' Cowen was riding his motorcycle behind a taxi which was turning into the Southampton Princess when the accident happened.

He was forced to brake on a road made greasy by rain, smashing into the back of the cab when another bike tried to overtake both vehicles.

Fellow athlete, Nuri Lathan, a top junior cyclist who was on the back of Cowen's bike, was dazed but not seriously hurt.

Cowen feared for his future as a swimmer but doctors immediately inserted a steel rod in his leg instead of a cast.

That should quicken his recovery, along with physiotherapy, but Davies said there was no point in trying to be too hasty and risk making the damage worse.

He also paid tribute to Cowen's mental strength.

"It's amazing when you consider what happened to him. I think he went right into the taxi, through a pane of glass and back out of it. At first I think he thought `thank God I'm alive', then `I can still walk around', then `what can be done to make sure I'm healing properly'.'' Davies said physiotherapists would be working with him to ensure the main muscle in the leg -- the quadricep -- did not suffer.

"It can waste very quickly if not used on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, though, he's primarily an upper body swimmer, so there's no reason why he can't come back and be a strong part of the relay team.''