Dage Minors has opted out of the Bermuda Invitational Permit Meet to leave Shaquille Dill as Bermuda’s lone competitor in the 800 metres at the National Stadium this weekend.

The Franklin Pierce University graduate will miss the meet to concentrate on the World University Games in China in August.

“Unfortunately, I thought it would be in the best interest of myself to take some time off,” said Minors, who is doing an intern at the Department of Youth and Sports before returning for his Masters at Franklin Pierce in the autumn.

“I’m kind of ‘bum’ that I have to miss it because I don’t run here often, but we have the World University Games in China that I want to be at my best for.

“This meet didn’t fit well into my plans. I did give it a lot of thought, I sat down with my coach and talked about it.

“My undergraduate degree is done but I’ll be returning to complete my Masters and I’ll still be competing.”

The Bermuda National Athletics Association released the final list for the second Bermuda Invitational Permit Meet, which will start at 6.30pm on Saturday with 13 events.

Bermudian sprinters Tre Houston and Kyle Webb will go up against six top sprinters in the 100, including Ramon Gittens who represented Barbados at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last summer.

Webb will also double up in the 200, competing against four runners from Jamaica, as well as Wallace Spearmon, one of the top United States 200-metres sprinters.

Barbados will also be represented by Antonio Mascoll in the 800 and Kierre Beckles in the women’s 100 hurdles.

Trinidad will have two top male athletes in action, with Emmanuel Callender competing in the 100 and Lalonde Gordon in the 200, while Semoy Hackett will run in the women’s 100 metres.

The impressive list of sprinters from Jamaica include Oshane Bailey in the 100 and 200, Jermaine Gayle in the 400, as well as Deuce Carter in the 110 hurdles.

A second Bermudian has been confirmed in the long jump where Bruce DeGrilla will compete with Tyrone Smith and five others, including Ronald Hertog, a para athlete from the Netherlands who has a best leap of 7.58.

Smith recently broke his own Bermuda record with a jump of 8.34 while DeGrilla has jumped 7.60 this season.

Athletes from Puerto Rico, Grenada Nigeria, Cayman Islands, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leon and Uganda will begin arriving in Bermuda today.

In total there will be nine Bermudians competing, including Jessica Lewis in the 800 para event, Lamont Marshall in the 3,000 steeplechase and Sakari Famous in the women’s high jump.

“The BNAA are excited about this event and know that these athletes will put on some good performances and our own Bermuda athletes will excite us as well,” said Donna Raynor, the BNAA president.

“We just need Bermuda to come out and fill those seats for 2½ hours of exciting track and field.”