Multitalented Tyler Smith will achieve a rare feat if he is selected for Bermuda’s Carifta team for this month’s trip to Grenada.

The triathlete will join a select group who have made two Carifta appearances in different sports.

Not surprising, as Smith, 17, is one of the island’s top young triathletes. Swimming was his first sport years ago, even representing the island in Carifta in that sport, before he branched out to running and now triathlon.

Having already reached the qualifying mark in the 5,000 metres, the Junior Male Athlete of the Year, is looking forward to his first Carifta Games in track and field.

Actually the Carifta team could have been made up of the male and female Junior Athletes of the Year, but college student Kyrah Scraders has opted not to compete this year because it clashes with the start of the outdoor season for Iowa Community College.

Jah-Nhai Perinchief is also at Iowa Community College and will also miss Carifta, leaving Smith to help boost the team’s medal prospects along with high jumper Sakari Famous and thrower Tiara DeRosa.

Smith, because of a late birth date, will compete in the under-20s instead of the under-18s. He will be eligible again next year.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it, it might not be my original sport, just running by itself, but it is definitely something I want to take pretty serious,” said Smith, who plans to compete in tomorrow’s final Carifta trial meet at the National Sports Centre.

“Doing Carifta in this will help my triathlon, but I also want to take the opportunity to represent Bermuda. Usually it is just me or one other Bermudian like Erica [Hawley, in triathlons] but in this situation it is a whole team atmosphere. I know a lot of the people going so I’m really looking forward to it.”

So far about eight athletes have qualified ahead of the last meet, with the Bermuda National Athletic Association anticipating sending a team of 12. Smith plans to compete in a shorter middle distance race tomorrow.

“I’m going to try this weekend to see what I can do in the 1500, but I know the time is pretty quick,” Smith said. “The 5,000 is definitely more my event and if I’m selected to go it will be good to see how I can compare with some of the top 5,000 guys throughout the Caribbean.

“I went to Carifta in swimming quite a few years ago, in Barbados probably 2010. I used to be just a swimmer and then I was introduced to triathlon.

“I wasn’t as great a swimmer as I needed to be to compete at the international level. Then I was able to develop into a good triathlete.

“I’ve always run, I used to run with Pacers and MAAC Track when I was younger so this is a chance to get back into track.

“I haven’t done a track meet for two or three years, so I’m putting the spikes back on to run track and not have to worry about the swim or bike.”

Smith has recovered from a recent fractured foot that kept him out of the KPMG Front Street Mile, running away to a comfortable victory in the senior schools cross country.

“Nothing’s worrying me right now, it feels great and I’m 100 per cent ready to go,” said Smith, whose fourth-place finish in the May 24 Half Marathon Derby was the best by a 16-year-old since Trey Simons finished fifteenth in 2010.

Another first time qualifier for Carifta is runner Lynsey Palmer, who also won her age group in the senior schools cross country.

Palmer has qualified for the 3,000 metres for Carifta, while high jumper Elisha Darrell has also qualified for his first Carifta Games.

Other qualifiers include Ethan Philip in the long jump, Kevin Miller in the high jump, and Aaron Jacobs, who qualified in the 800 with a personal best 2:02.33.

Another schools cross country winner, Quincy Kuzyk, has come close to reaching the mark for Carifta for the first time in the 1500 metres.

Also close are sprinters Jahkera Tucker who clocked 12.32 seconds in the under-18 100 metres, where the qualifying mark is 12.30, and Stephan Dill, Djyman Reid and Deneo Brangman among the under-18 boys.

Also aiming to qualify and join his brother Elisha on the Bermuda team is middle distance runner David Darrell, who competed in the last two Carifta Games in Martinique and St Kitts.

Darrell is considering competing in the 400 and 800 tomorrow. Like Smith, he has had injuries recently.

Sprinter Suresh Black, who is in school in Barbados, will also try to qualify at the final attempt this weekend during a meet in Barbados.

Black, back home recently when he competed in a track meet at the National Stadium, was also being chased by Barbados after some outstanding performances there, but has opted to represent Bermuda, the country of his birth.