Tyrone Smith's gold glory at the CAC Games, 11 medals at Carifta, four medals at the CAC Juniors and a silver and bronze at the NCAA Championships.

There is no disputing this year's track and field season was one of the most successful in recent memory with several Bermuda athletes achieving remarkable results at the elite level.

Yesterday, Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) president Donna Watson reflected on some of those outstanding performances as well as looking at what is in store for 2011 and 2012.

Among the many highlights for Watson last season was the Island's superb display at Carifta in the Cayman Islands, held in April, where teenager sprinter Jeneko Place scooped silvers in the 100 and 200 metres.

Bermuda's other medal winners were Shaquille Dill (800m) who grabbed silver, while Juma Mouchette (1,500m), Jasmine Brunson (long jump), Taylor Ashley Bean (3,000m), Allison Outerbridge (triple jump), Henry Stevens-Carty (800m), Christian Wright (long jump) and Akeila Richardson (triple jump) all claimed bronzes.

"We sent a team of 23 athletes to the Carifta Games that were held in the Cayman Islands and returned with 11 medals which is the most we have captured in several years," said Watson, who was appointed as BTFA president in April, 2009. "This team was made up of youth and experience and therefore we have a great future in front of us."

Place went onto claim silver and bronze in the Under-17 sprint events at the CAC Juniors held in the Dominican Republic in May, where Dill took gold and Henry Stevens-Carty the silver in the Under-20 800m.

Dill and Stevens-Carty's podium placings emphasised just how well-stocked the Island's middle distance department is, said Watson.

"In both of those events, the Carifta Games and CAC Juniors, we had some true athlete hopefuls with Jeneko Place medalling in both events in the 100m and 200m, (as well as being) selected for the first Youth Olympic Games and qualifying for the World Junior Championships.

"We had Shaquille Dill and Henry Stevens-Carty who medalled in Carifta and the CAC Juniors and placed first and second in the 800m at the CAC Junior event. This again proving the strength of our middle distance runners in Bermuda."

The top of performance of the season by a Bermuda athlete was undoubtedly long jumper Smith's record breaking leap of 8.22m at the CAC Games in Puerto Rico in July.

The 24-year-old part-time car salesman became only the second Bermudian athlete to ever claim gold at the CAC Games, following in the footsteps of legendary high jumper Clarence (Nicky) Saunders who grabbed gold at the 1987 CAC Games.

With a slight headwind, Smith set a new national record with a formidable jump which easily eclipsed silver medallist Tagiy Muhammad, of the Virgin Islands, who leapt 7.79m.

To make his medal winning moment even more special, Watson, who was acting as the Island's Chef de Mission, presented Smith with his gold medal.

"That was a great experience for me as I was asked to present the medals for the men's long jump event," she said.

Sprint duo Place and Tre Houston both finished their season on high notes. Place came fifth at the inaugural World Youth Olympics in Singapore in August, while UK-based Houston reached the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games in India last month.

Houston has spent the last ten months training with world-renowned UK sprint coach Tony Lester who has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Roger Black, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis.

"We had Jeneko Place competing in the first World Youth Games and making it to the finals and placing fifth in the world in his age group to end his season," Watson said.

"Unfortunately, due to such a long season and the timing of the Commonwealth Games, we were only able to send two athletes and they performed very well with Tre Houston finishing with a PB in the 100m and making it to the semi-finals in the 200m."

At the university and college level, local athletes continued to excel with Watson heaping praise on promising middle distance runner Aaron Evans who broke the national 800m record as well as claiming medals at the NCAA Championships and NAC Under-23s.

"Throughout the season we had our athletes in college/university kicking up a storm," said Watson. "Notably Aaron Evans who has a fantastic future in front of him if he continues on the path that he is currently on. The first time qualifying for the NCAA Championships and coming out with a third place in the 800m and is now ranked third overall in the NACAC region.

"He also broke the International record in the 800m which has stood for several years. Not to be outdone was Arantxa King who placed second in the long jump at the NCAA championships.

"During the year we had Shianne Smith who broke the record in the heptathlon and graduated from Cal State this year completing her four year degree while on a track scholarship.

"We then moved on to the NAC Under-23 championships where Aaron Evans picked up another medal in that event. Tre Houston who received funding from the Bermuda Olympic Association in preparation for the Commonwealth Games set a PB in the 200m (21.04) after training for six months with Tony Lester."

Over the next few seasons, Bermuda's best athletes will test themselves at the some of the biggest events in track and field. In 2011, they will have the chance to prove themselves on the international stage at the Pan Am Games in Mexico and the World Championships in South Korea.

And in 2012, local athletes will look to make their mark on home and foreign soil with the Island hosting the Carifta Games just months ahead of the London Olympics.

Carifta will be held at the National Sports Centre (NSC) after Bahamas, the only other representative putting up a fight to host the event, fell out of the race, giving the Island their first Games competition since 2004 – a competition that saw current world record holder Usain Bolt shoot to prominence.

Watson has been inspired after watching the movie 'Invictus' which tells the story of how apartheid-torn South Africa won the Rugby World Cup in 1995 in front of their home supporters. She hopes Bermudians will show similar support and pack the NSC to cheer on their athletes to Carifta Games glory in less than two years' time.

"As you can see we have a lot on our plates over the next couple of years and as I always say we have enough to keep our track and field athletes out of trouble and on the track," Watson said.

"Now as we look forward to the next two years our focus is on the Carifta Games which will be held in Bermuda. We have our committee and have already begun meeting and planning this event with several areas already in place. One of the main areas we are focusing on is to start a drive to get more athletes on board, send a good size team to Carifta 2011 so that we can have a formidable and good size team in 2012 in front of our home crowd.

"We need to get the Bermuda public, corporations pumped up and behind the team so as I saw in the Invictus movie we will have the stands full and everyone supporting and feeling pride when our athletes step on the track."

The BTFA had been handed $5,000 from Samsung to send a batch of middle distance runners to compete in the Gibson relays in Jamaica, and have also received sponsorship from ASICS who have custom designed Bermuda's uniforms for next year's World Championships.