Some of Bermuda’s most experienced Carifta Games athletes are brimming with confidence ahead of this year’s event in Grenada.

Denver Tucker, Miles Outerbridge and Jaeda Grant will all be representing the island for the third time when the games come to life from Saturday to Monday at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium this week.

Sprinter Tucker, who is at IMG Academy in Florida, is counting on his past experiences to carry him through in his pursuit of a medal, something that eluded him in Jamaica and the Bahamas.

“I'm a lot more confident,’’ Tucker said. “There’s a lot more experience going for my third year and I know what to expect in those situations where it gets tough.

“My preparation has been great and I've been bringing my times down, training with fast people.

“It’s been really good and I'm confident going into this year’s Carifta Games knowing that I might be able to win a medal.

“Winning a medal is definitely the end goal and I'm pretty sure I definitely have a good chance. I just have to put my race strategies together and execute them.”

Tucker, 17, is running the 100 and 200 metres sprints in the boys under-20 age group and has learnt to deal with unpleasant situations when racing at the Games.

“My biggest lessons from the past Carifta Games is that you've got to be comfortable being uncomfortable,’’ he said.

“That’s what I hear from my coaches and from anyone that’s told me in those hard times where you might feel out of place or lose your confidence.

“You've got to stay confident, trust and believe in yourself that you can do it.”

Outerbridge also has an insight into what he is up against. The 16-year-old, who is enrolled at Montverde Academy in Florida, has been keeping an eye on the other contenders in his age division as he also has the double task of competing in the blue-riband distances of 100 and 200 metres in the boys under-17 division.

“I feel confident from the years I've been doing this that I know my competition,’’ Outerbridge told The Royal Gazette.

“I know who I've to look out for. I've been watching a few different countries, including Jamaica and Trinidad, so I'm pretty confident on what I've got to do. I‘m confident that I can get into the finals and I can do well there this year.”

Grant has been in terrific form this year, producing brilliant displays at races such as the Butterfield Mile, Butterfield and Vallis 5K as well as the Speed Capital in Florida. The 15-year-old also won the 3,000, 1,500 and 800 metere in her age group at the senior schools track and field finals at the Flora Duffy Stadium last week.

Grant is optimistic about her chances of picking up a medal in Grenada as she has made good progress in the 1,500 metres at the past two games. After finishing fifth in Jamaica in 2022, she was fourth in the Bahamas in a time of 4min 56sec in 2023.

“I'm just a little scared because there is going be more people than there were the year before,’’ she said.

“I lost my shoe last year and came fourth, so this year I think I can come third. This time I'm expecting a quicker time and to not lose my shoe and, hopefully, third place.

“I've been consistently running since the beginning of the year and that has really helped me prepare for the Carifta Games.”

Meanwhile, the island’s team has been further depleted by the late withdrawal of Ziza Russell, who was down to race in the under-17 girls 1,500 metres.

Freddie Evans, the BNAA president, could not shed light on Russell pulling out of the team in advance of the bulk of the athletes leaving for Grenada on Wednesday morning. They arrive the same day, with a few flying straight to the Caribbean nation from their overseas bases.