After talking of hanging up his spikes, Island runner Xavier James this week confirmed he wants to represent Bermuda at the CAC Games in El Salvador in December.

His decision to run for his country comes just five weeks after threatening to bow out of track and field following what he felt was a disappointing performance at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. James turned in a modest 21.50 in the second round of the 200 metres after running a personal best of 21.04 in the first round.

That performance left him totally frustrated to the extent that he gave himself a few weeks to re-evaluate his career before deciding his next move.

After giving the matter careful thought during quiet moments alone in Alabama where he attended school prior to the Games, the 26-year-old Southampton resident came to the conclusion that it was probably too soon to quit.

"I have to remember who I am running for - it's for me, my family and those individuals who support me. Those are the trials and tribulations that one goes through to make it to the top,'' said the athlete who aims to compete in both the 100m and 200m in El Salvador.

One deterrent for James has been the difficulty he has experienced in getting sponsorship and other financial support from within Bermuda, something he believes has led to a lack of exposure to top level competition and ultimately his failure in Manchester.

"After putting so much sweat into getting this far I guess it's best to hang in there for awhile longer," said James. "I'll keep on running. But I am disappointed when it comes to sponsorship and getting the required support from my country, especially when I have the beating of a lot of these guys who get paid $50-60,000 by their country. It's just that Bermuda doesn't appear to look out for its athletes."

"If I only had the chances that these others have then I could have possibly reached the finals at Commonwealth and brought home a medal.''

In recent weeks James said that he has watched video tapes of himself closely and found a few faults that he felt would, once corrected, help to improve his times.

The discovery has given him a timely boost, one that has inspired him to return to serious training this week and prepare for the CAC Games with justified enthusiasm.

"I have been studying video tapes of my running the last few months and found that, technically, I have been doing a lot wrong and so it's going to be a process whereby when I learn to run properly it's going to change the whole equation. Right now I am running off raw talent,'' he said.

"It's not about getting in shape, I'm in great shape, I just have to break down my race, learn how to start and how to finish.

"Right now I just run. Troy Douglas (now running for the Netherlands) and others understand their race like a science but I don't know how to do that, it's something I have to learn how to master and perfect.''

James doesn't intend to participate in any track and field meets in the build up to CAC, instead he plans to restrict himself to a rigid training regime in the US.