LONDON — The men’s long jump at London 2012 is “wide open” with Bermuda’s Tyrone Smith capable of forcing his way into the medal reckoning, according to former triple jumper Brian Wellman.Wellman, one of the Island’s greatest ever athletes, was never able to capture his best form at the Olympics, with a fifth-place finish at the Barcelona Games in 1992 his top performance.But with the world’s top jumpers having relatively poor seasons by their high standards, he believes Smith could succeed where he failed by winning an Olympic medal for Bermuda.At the recent IAAF World Challenge meet in Madrid, global leader Greg Rutherford of Great Britain finished a distant sixth, while South Africa’s Khotso Mokoena, the Beijing Olympics silver medallist, could only manage eighth with a disappointing leap of 7.99 metres.Smith won gold at the CAC Games two years ago with a national record jump of 8.22 metres, a distance Wellman believes might be good enough for at least bronze in London.“The men’s long jump is wide open, there’s no clear-cut favourite and I believe the Bermuda national record could win a medal,” said Wellman, who is Bermuda’s track and field coach at the Olympics.“Tyrone’s national record of 8.22 metres could be enough. That mark, I suspect, in the past wouldn’t have won anything but if Tyrone is at his very best then he could be in contention.”While Smith is vying to become the first Bermudian to win an Olympic medal since boxer Clarence Hill claimed bronze at the 1976 Montreal Games, his teammate Arantxa Kings’ chances of glory appear remote.King, who received a wildcard to compete at the Games, will be up against a far more competitive field than Smith, according to Wellman, who will be trying to coax top performances from both athletes.“The women’s long jump is quite tough, I think are three legitimate seven metre jumpers in the field so it will be very hard for Arantxa,” said Wellman, who competed in Seoul ‘88, Barcelona ‘92, Atlanta ‘96 and Sydney 2000.“I’ll be helping with Tyrone and Arantxa’s final preparations, overseeing their last-minute workouts and on competition days I’ll give advice as need be.“Some of the most minor adjustments, which people wouldn’t even notice unless they know what they’re looking for, can make all the difference and that’s what I’m there for.“I have quite a bit of experience with long jumping mechanics and technique so I’ll be focusing on that one adjustment that can make the difference.”During his heyday, Wellman was one of a trio of world-class Bermuda athletes along with high jumper Nicky Saunders and sprinter Troy Douglas.Wellman’s finest moment came in Barcelona in 1995 when he won the world indoor championship title with a leap of 17.72 metres.And while he feels it’s unrealistic to expect Bermudian track and field to return to those halcyon days anytime soon, considering the likes of Smith and King are part-time athletes, he insists there’s no shortage of talent on the Island.“I was a world champion, Troy Douglas was a World Championship silver medallist and Nicky Saunders a Commonwealth Games gold medallist; we’re talking about the best people on the planet from a very small country — that’s quite an achievement,” said Wellman, who now works for a vending supplies company.“Tyrone has done well, Arantxa King has done well, but the standard has dropped since we were among the best in the world.“They’re competing against guys who compete for a living. OK, Arantxa has been in college and has to juggle the two things but for us to expect our athletes to go to the Olympics and win a medal is probably unrealistic.“Both Tyrone and Arantxa are technically part-time athletes and I guarantee if you ask the people who win in London what they do for a living they will say ‘I’m a long jumper.’“In this day and age we have to be honest, we have to totally commit and that’s hard in the current financial climate. However, you’re not talking about people who are not deserving of financial support; they have already spent an immense amount of time, energy and effort to show they’re worthy.”Wellman, 44, expects to renew plenty of old acquaintances in London, with many of his former triple jump foes working as coaches for their respective track and field associations.“Some of the friendships I made during my career I will have forever. I keep in touch with a lot of guys through Facebook and many are now involved in coaching.“It’s pretty funny but I will be meeting the exact same people I competed against here at the Olympics.”