Dage Minors and Emma Keane spoke of their pride after being chosen as join flag bearers for Bermuda at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, today.

Squash player Keane and middle-distance runner Minors have been handed the honour of leading the island’s team out in front of a capacity crowd at the Alexander Stadium as the Games officially get under way.

The pair are well aware of the magnitude of the privilege.

“Honestly I’m just speechless,” said Keane. “I can’t think of a better honour four your country than to walk out with the flag at a Games as prestigious as this with such talented athletes on either side of me. I am just going to soak up every single minute.

“It’s an honour in itself but even more so to share it with Dage who has been performing at an immense level recently and I’m so excited to share this experience with him and all the other athletes here.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience that I’m going to make the most of. I’m super excited to put on the Bermuda shorts and put my best foot forward for our beautiful home and really hope that everybody is just as excited as I am.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Minors, despite not relishing the prospect of being in the spotlight on the world stage.

“First and foremost it’s an honour to be selected by the Bermuda Olympic Association to lead out the team and island at such a big event an occasion,” he said.

“I’m a bit nervous as someone who is relatively introverted and doesn’t like limelight. This is the complete opposite, but it’s a part of the journey.”

The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony gets under way at 3pm Bermuda time.