Xavier James' hopes of representing Bermuda at the CAC Games in El Salvador next month have suffered a setback following an injury he suffered last week while playing soccer in Alabama.

But the 26-year-old sprinter remains hopeful that he will be able to shrug off the ankle injury and take his place among the contingent of local athletes destined for Central America.

"I am not ruling myself out, certainly not, even though I am on crutches at the moment," said James.

"My specialist said that I will probably be off my feet for about a month or so, but I remain optimistic of making a speedy recovery because the swelling has already gone down and things are apparently mending at a rapid rate."

The athlete decided to use soccer as another means to work on his physical fitness even though he realised that such a contact sport carried a large degree of risk.

He began playing in a league recently but last weekend over-extended the ligament and tendon in his left ankle while making a sharp turn.

James hopes to run both the 100 metres and 200 metres in El Salvador in an effort to make amends for his disappointment at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England in the summer when he turned in a modest time of 21.50 seconds in the second round of the 200 metres after having run a personal best of 21.04 in the first round.

"I only decided to play soccer to keep in decent shape," he said. "You can never predict an injury. Anyway, I remain an optimist, I am not ruling myself out of the CAC at this stage.

"While I am hardly walking now, I still have just short of two months left to get back to normal and it's not impossible. I am seeing progress already with the swelling going down. I am a fighter and I will continue to keep my fingers crossed and aim to represent my country."

At the time of his injury James said he had already got in a lot of track work at his former college where he worked out regularly with prominent runners in the area.

He intended to use most of this month to concentrate on weights.

"It's not about getting into shape, I've always been in good shape," added James. "Once I get over the injury it wouldn't take me any time to peak."

James' disappointment over the Commonwealth Games' outing combined with difficulty in getting sponsorship on a regular basis left him frustrated to the point that he considered quitting athletics altogether after Manchester.

But after spending a few weeks in Alabama where he attended school, he has decided to persevere.

Two weeks ago he said he was focusing on the technical side of running. After noticing some faults on video tape, he said he was certain he would see vast improvements in his times in both the 100 and 200 metres.

If James were to miss the CAC Games, it would be another blow for Bermuda's track and field team as a smaller than usual squad is already expected to make the trip because of its timing at the end of the season.