Bermuda?s Xavier James predictably bowed out in the first round of the men?s 100 metres at the Athens Olympics on Saturday morning ? but not without achieving one of his missions.

Running in lane eight, the sprinter clocked 10.40 seconds for sixth place in the tenth and final heat which was won by Commonwealth and World champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts-Nevis in an easy 10.11 seconds.

While failing to advance to the quarter-finals, the Island?s lone athletics representative established the fastest 100-metre mark by a Bermudian in the Olympics, erasing the time of 10.63 seconds by Dennis Trott in Montreal in 1976.

Admitting he ?ran a bad race? in which he did not ?execute his top end?, James was still pleased to have made it to the Games and put up a fight for his country.

?I?m very pleased to have run the fastest (100-metre) time by a Bermudian in the Olympics. Nobody has done that (10.4).

?I?m not disappointed at all. I came out here and ran 10.4. I?ve been consistent all season and I almost matched my season best (10.38),? he said, adding that under the circumstances it was not ?too bad?.

?If you take into consideration my life, it?s not bad. I was in Bermuda until May working as a schoolteacher. I?ve only been in a quality-training environment for about eight weeks and therefore I can?t be disappointed with my performance under the conditions.?

James, who had been training in Florida with former American top sprinter Dennis Mitchell, reasoned that if he had been able to devote himself to athletics full-time from last September he could have dropped his time to a low 10-point.

?I didn?t have enough races in me. If I had three or four more races, I think I would have dropped more time.?

The 28-year-old, who said he was not scared in his Olympic debut, noted he had matured as a sprinter and would now take some time to reflect about the future.

As he peruses the statistics of the 100-metres first round he can take some heart. He placed joint 42nd overall out of 82 men who contested the event and can have the pleasure of saying he fared better than Sydney silver medallist Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago who finished a shocking fourth in heat six with 10.41 to place 44th overall.

In addition, James was in one of the faster heats in which not only the top three qualified for the second round automatically but also the fourth and fifth-placed runners who were among the ?next ten fastest? to advance.

Saying he enjoyed the experience, the Bermudian was non-commital about his track and Olympic future, noting ?four years is a long time?.

?This is the last race I?m going to run this season and then we will see. I have a positive attitude but I can?t predict,? said the athlete who had to train late into the night because of work and family obligations.

However, he hinted his Olympic ambitions may not be over just yet, citing the likes of sprint sensations Merlene Ottey of Jamaica, Gail Devers of the USA and even Bermuda-born Troy Douglas of the Netherlands as examples of athletes who are still competing in their 40s and late 30s.

Thanking his family, friends and those at his training base in Florida for their support and assistance in making his dream a reality, James said he hoped he had inspired Bermudian youth to pursue their goals despite whatever obstacles they faced.

?Even though things are not ideal you can still go out there and make a difference. If it weren?t for me nobody would be in the Olympics (in athletics) for Bermuda. At least the Island has a representative and I?m proud of that.?