Tyrone Smith, the Bermuda long jumper, hopes his early-season performances point to a positive season ahead after breaking the eight-metre barrier in Houston.

Smith leapt 8.09 at last month’s Rice University track and field meet — farther than he managed to jump all last season — having opened up with an impressive 7.97 at the Mount SAC Relays in California in April.

His flying start to the season is one of the strongest he has made as he looks to put the disappointment of last year’s injury-riddled campaign firmly behind him.

“My 7.97 at the Mount SAC Relays is the second-best I’ve ever opened up with and then to jump 8.09 in my second meet made me really happy,” Smith said.

“The seasons that I’ve jumped over eight metres this early on have all been really good.

“I think it’s a great sign, my coach is happy and I just need a few meets in a row so I can get my rhythm.”

Hampered by a hamstring problem, Smith could not meet his high expectations last season, finishing eighth at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July with a jump of 7.79.

Undercooked and weary after a long season, he then failed in his mission to defend his gold medal at the CAC Games in Veracruz, Mexico, in November, finishing eleventh with a best leap of 7.17.

Now aged 30, Smith said he was reaping the rewards after tinkering with his training techniques to cope with the physical demands on his body.

“We’re training differently now I’m a little bit older,” said Smith, who works as a car salesman in Houston.

“I’m giving myself some more rest time and I’m not really beating my body as up much.

“It seems to be paying off because I might not be as fast as I’ve been, but I’m jumping better and more consistently.”

Smith, who will compete at IAAF World Challenge in Morocco on June 14, has a busy season ahead with several major competitions on the horizon.

Next month he will represent Bermuda at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, where he expects to be at “full tilt”.

He will then take part at the NACAC Senior Championships in Costa Rica in August, before taking a short break prior to the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

Smith returned to Bermuda at the weekend to attend the Tokio Millennium Re Sprint Triathlon, where he handed out prizes after the junior races.

The two-times Olympian, who is sponsored by Tokio Millennium Re, said it was always a pleasure to return home to catch up with his family.

“It’s been great, I got to see my nan who turns 86 in a few weeks,” he said.

“I was also able to return the support that Tokio Millennium Re have given me.”