Nick Kyme insists he is feeling “reborn” after his first Pan American Games and hopes to prolong an international career that already spans more than two decades.

The 38-year-old was forced to withdraw from Bermuda’s final match in the team event against El Salvador on Wednesday because of a groin injury, which handed the South Americans a 2-1 win. It meant Kyme and his team-mates, Noah Browne and Micah Franklin, had to settle for a twelfth-place finish.

However, Kyme says he is not done yet and has one eye on competing at his sixth Commonwealth Games when it rolls into Birmingham, England, in three years’ time.

“I’ll be around for as long as they let me,” said Kyme, who also served as the team’s coach in Lima.

“I love this sport, so I’m going to keep playing. At the end of the day, I’m 38 now, it’s a matter of time.

“We have a couple of young guys coming through and I’ll try my hardest to make sure they don’t come through! I’m going to try and stay in there for as long as I can.”

Kyme feared he would never play again because of a calf injury that kept him out for two years before being cajoled back into action by Browne and Franklin.

The pair wanted a third member as they looked to qualify a Bermuda squash team for the Pan Am Games for the first time.

They achieved that goal at the Pan American Squash Championships in Cayman Islands in September last year, where they had to finish in the top 12.

“These guys have given me a rebirth being able to come to events like this,” Kyme added. “We’re extremely excited to be here and just being at the Pan Am Games is a big accomplishment for us.

“We’re a little disappointed we didn’t give a better showing, but we had a few things going against us. Hopefully at the next event the three of us will do a lot better.

“Noah unfortunately got injured before the start of the Games and wasn’t at full strength. Micah played really well throughout and should be proud of the way he played.”

Although Franklin plans to step away from the Professional Squash Association World Tour to concentrate on his coaching job on island, and prepare for married life, he still believes he has not reached his peak.

“It’s a tough level here,” said the 27-year-old. “You’re up against some of the world’s best players. I have the utmost respect for these guys and I have so much work to do. “I’m really pleased with the way I’ve played. At this moment, I’m not quite thinking about [retiring from international competition] just yet. I feel like I’m in great physical condition and I know I have more in the tank.”