Dage Minors says he has no regrets doubling up in the 800 and 1,500 metres despite running out of gas in his final event at the Pan American Games yesterday.

Minors finished sixth in the 800 semi-finals in a time of 1min 50.68sec and admits his legs felt fatigued from his exertions in the 1,500 final the previous day.

The 23-year-old came eleventh in that race in 3:48.85 — just six hundredths of a second off his personal best.

“A lot of people come to these games and just do one event,” Minors said. “They are kind of scared to do two.

“I was like, ‘If I’m going to the Pan Am Games, I might as well do both’. I’ve done well in one event and average in the other.

“My coach challenged me to double [in the 800 and 1,500] and I wanted to take on the challenge.”

Minors, who was competing at his first Pan Am Games, admits the 800 proved a step too far and that he struggled to cope with the changing tempo of the race.

He finished twelfth overall out of 13 runners, one of which, Jesús López, of Mexico, took a fall and did not finish.

“I’m kind of disappointed,” Minors said. “I thought I could have gone faster but my legs are still tired from the 1,500.

“I just felt my top-end speed wasn’t where it needed to be. My performance in the 1,500 took away my top-end speed.

“I can’t be hard on myself. [The race] went out hard and then it slowed down. The way my legs were feeling I needed it to be either fast the whole way or slow the whole way.

“After racing in the 1,5000, I couldn’t do fast, slow, fast, slow.”

Minors, who became the first Bermudian to win the Front Street Mile elite men’s race last year, said he will be making the 1,500 his priority.

“I’ve always favoured the longer distances since I was a kid,” he added. “The training is a little different; there’s a bit more mileage, longer workouts and longer, easier runs.”

Minors, who has a major in sports and recreation management, will return to Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire in the autumn to work as an assistant coach and train on Optional Practical Training.

An OPT offers international students who have completed one full year of academic study in the United States to accumulate paid work experience in their chosen field.

“Being with the college kids, they all want to beat me in training,” Minors said. “The 18-year-olds all want to beat me even though I’m not much older.

“It keeps me young and keeps me hungry. At the same time, they respect me and I respect them.

“They always ask me for input on life and training. It’s a good fit right now and I like it.

“When I tell them not to quit during their workouts I have to remember to tell myself the same thing. They hold me accountable because if I get on their case they can get on mine.”