The softly-spoken and always affable Katura Horton Perinchief showed her angry side this morning, complaining of discrimination and biased officiating as she narrowly failed to make the final of the three metre springboard diving event at Melbourne?s Sports and Aquatic Centre.

In tenth position and needing to finish among the top 12 of 15 to qualify for tonight?s final, the 23-year-old Bermudian bombed out on her final dive when she failed to execute a back one and a half somersault with two and a half twists.

With a score of 40.60, she dropped into 13th and out of the final. But while she had no qualms about the judging of that last dive, she was upset that her earlier efforts hadn?t merited better scores.

And it was a complaint that certainly seemed justified.

Of her five dives, three were spot-on with near flawless entries. Yet she was regularly scored ten points or more behind the heavily-favoured Australians, Canadians and English.

?Definitely that last dive cost me,? said Katura as she glanced at the electronic scoreboard for a final review of the results. ?But you know what I?ve learned about meets of this magnitude is that if you?re from the wrong country you?re not going to get the scores.

?There were dives today that were a lot worse than mine that got scored a lot higher.

?It?s so frustrating. I?m not really here for the judges, I?m here for the people and myself and for Bermuda. And it?s really nice to be just out here representing my country.

?But there?s just no doubt that they (judges) discriminate against small countries.

?I mean we (Bermuda) don?t have officials, we don?t have judges, we don?t have anyone here to take up an issue on my behalf.

?Perhaps if we had technical people, who said ?hey, this isn?t right?, then it would definitely change. But for now that?s how it?s going to be.

?And we?re a country that dosn?t even have a facility for me or anyone else to train, so who are we to really say anything. We can?t even bring a judge.?

Horton-Perinchief, now the head diving coach at George Washington University in Washington DC, appeared a lot more confident and composed in today?s three-metre event than she had during last night?s final of the one-metre competition in which she finished 11th out of 12.

Diving last in the field of 15, she got off to a solid start with a forward two and a half somersault which scored only 50.40 but was perhaps worth more given the much higher scores awarded to those before her.

That left her in 12th place but a beautifully executed back two and a half somersault on her second dive vaulted her into tenth position with a score of 58.20.

Despite a score of 46.20 on her third dive, a reverse two and a half somersault, and 52.65 for her fourth, an inward two and a half somersault, she remained in tenth place and on course for the final ? even moreso after medal favourite Leong Mun Yee of Malaysia made a terrible hash of her attempt at a forward three and a half somersault, plunged into the water belly first and withdrew injured.

Everything now hinged on her final dive, but sadly her effort was the poorest of all five and the score of 40.60 left her in 13th place with a total of 248.65 points, less than eight behind the final qualifier, Malaysia?s Cheong Jun Hoong (256.55).

Gold medallist from the prevous night?s one-metre springboard, Canada?s Blythe Hartley, led the three-metre qualifiers with a points total of 330.90, her best score being 74.40 for a forward three and a half somersault.

In last night?s one-metre final, Horton-Perinchief had finished with 453.15 points, just three behind tenth place finisher, Rachel Kemp of Canada (456.55).

Despite her disappointment at failing to qualify in today?s event, the Bermudian said she would continue to train for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

?I definitely see myself at the Olympics in two years? time but I?m not sure about the next Commonwealth Games,? she said.

?Four years is a long time from now. But China, yes, I really want to qualify for that.?

Meanwhile, Bermuda?s three cyclists completed their preparation for the final event of these Games, the men?s and women?s road races, when they rode around the course this morning ? 24 hours ahead of the start.

And what Tyler Butterfield, Geri Mewett and Julia Hawley discovered was a tight, highly technical route which, combined with temperatures which are expected to soar over 90F, will make for two gruelling races.

In the women?s event, starting at 9 a.m. local time, Hawley faces a field of what is expected to be less than 40 riders on a 99 kilometre course which takes in nine loops of the 11K Royal Botanical Gardens circuit.

A much larger men?s field of 135 will tackle 15 laps of the same course during the hottest part of the day.

Island cycling coach Greg Hopkins admitted yesterday that all three Bermudians were in for a tough ride.

?They?re all fit and raring to go. At this stage, at the end of the Games, they just want to get on with it,? said Hopkins.

?We cycled around the course today and it?s very, very technical with a lot of tight turns and narrow areas. No doubt it?s going to be a hard race, perhaps not quite so much for Julia who?s in a smaller field and starts earlier in the day.

?But Tyler and Geri are in a big field, and it?s going to be very hot. But this is the Commonwealth Games, there are some of the world?s best riders here, you don?t expect it to be easy.?