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Games goal in reach of several athletes, says Watson

Donna Watson believes that the local Olympic hopefuls will make the required standards as the clock winds down on their qualification deadline for London in July.So far only Tyrone Smith has booked his place for the summer spectacle, with the likes of Aaron Evans, Arantxa King, Shianne Smith, Jasmine Brunson, Trey Houston and Lamont Marshall all looking to compete in England.With time winding down and opportunities to meet the respective standards limited, many will be looking to events such as the upcoming National Track and Field Championships to book their place.In the case of athletes overseas, including Evans, King and Brunson, the upcoming conference championships and Regional qualifiers present them with additional opportunities to quailfy.“At the present time Tryone is the only athlete who has met the standard but I have no doubt that we will have a few join him,” said the Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) president. “Aaron just had a great weekend with his relay team from University of Georgia winning the sprint medley relay at the Drake Relays with a world best time and Aaron running a fantastic final 800 metres leg from behind and bringing his team the gold.“He then went on to win the open 800 metres in a time of 1.49.36, and has met the standard of 1.46.30 but unfortunately it was outside of the time period so I have no doubt he will repeat the time.”Long jumper Smith qualified for the Olympics with a leap of 8.16 metres, easily reaching the standard of 8.1 metres at Rice University in Texas.For sprinter Houston, who is only shades of a second off reaching the 100 and 200 standard, the bar is in sight.King (long jump), Smith (heptathlon), Marshall (1500m), and Brunson (triple jump) are all in with a real chance to go to London.“Tre is just a few seconds away in the 100 and 200 metres qualification while Shianne, Arantxa, Jasmine, and Lamont are all in with a shout of getting over the hurdle,” added Watson.