Bermuda’s junior sprinters must become “sharper and tougher “ if they are to evolve into a reckoning force at regional track meets such as the Carifta Games.This according to former Olympic sprinter Troy Douglas who is committed to ensuring that Bermuda’s current batch of youth sprinters reach their full potential.“What we need to do is have a long-term plan and use every competition in our region to have our athletes better prepared for track meets such as the Carifta Games,” he said. “Our athletes are fit and talented but they need to be sharper and harder.“We need to make use of the competitions that are available to us in regions like Jamaica or Bahamas in Janaury, February so we will be sharper for Carifta, and that’s what we are going to try to do.”Overall, Douglas said he was impressed with the performances of Bermuda’s young sprinters such as Kyle Webb during this year’s Games at the National Sports Centre.“This was a very young team where you had guys who were 15 and girls who were 12 and 13 so it’s to our advantage that we have a young team to work for the future with and encourage other young athletes to come in,” said Douglas, who won the silver medal in the 200 metres at the 1995 World Indoor Championships and competed at 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics.“I am very impressed with what I’ve seen and it’s good that Carifta was held here so our coaches can see what we need to do against the best in the Caribbean.”Bermuda suffered a setback on the eve of the start of the Games after two-time Carifta silver medallist Jeneko Place was forced to withdraw due to hamstring injury.The 18-year-old Cedarbridge Academy student had been scheduled to compete in the Under-20 boys 100 and 200 metres and had been regarded as one of the Island’s best medal hopes.In recent years Caribbean sprinters have stamped their authority all over the Carifta Games. However, through technology other countries are now able to unlock the secrets to the success of Caribbean sprinters.“I think due to the technology we are finally able to see what’s been going on down there all these years and I’m not really surprised,” Douglas said. “I have made my living out of being a track coach and an athlete and so I’m not surprised with what I’ve seen.“To me this is nothing new and has been going on for many years. But thanks to modern technology we are able to enjoy it more.”