The Bermuda National Athletics Association yesterday confirmed 88 athletes for the inaugural Invitational Permit Meet in three weeks time at the National Stadium.

The places for the events are 98 per cent full with only spots available for the 1,500 metres.

Included among the competitors are several local athletes, including Sakari Famous, who won a bronze medal at last weekend’s Carifta Games in Grenada.

Also competing from Bermuda will be Shianne Smith who will run in the 400-metres hurdles, Aaron Evans in the 800 and Tyrone Smith, Bruce DeGrilla and Ethan Philip in the long jump.

Lamont Marshall and Chayce Smith will compete in the 1,500.

Donna Raynor, the BNAA president, said the Permit Meet received some exposure at the Carifta Games. She confirmed athletes from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, United States, Jamaica, Canada, Puerto Rico and Nigeria will competing in Bermuda on Friday, April 22.

“We’re excited and thrilled with having the inaugural Invitational Permit Meet,” Raynor said.

“While we were at the Carfta Games they announced the event several times, they announced the event at our regional congress meeting and between myself and [national coach] Troy Douglas, managers and athletes have contacted us on a daily basis wanting to come to the event.

“These are athletes preparing for the Olympics, athletes who have been to World Championships, Pan Am Games and Commonwealth Games.”

Some of the athletes confirmed include Ricardo Cunningham from Jamaica and Wesley Vasquez from Puerto Rico in the BHCS 800 men’s race. Cunningham has a best time of 1min 47sec, Vasquez 1:44.64, while Evans’s best stands at 1:46. Jamaul James from Trinidad, who has been to Bermuda previously to compete in the National Championships, will also compete in the race.

“As you can see from those times it’s going to be a very competitive event,” Raynor said.

Belco have agreed to sponsor three events, including the men’s 100 where Oshane Bailey of Jamaica, who has a best time of 10.11, Reggie Dixon of the United States, and Beejay Lee, a member of the US 4x100 relay team, will all compete.

The women’s 100 will also have a competitive field, including United States’ Dominique Booker, Tawanna Meadows, Natasha Morrison and Cierra White, Olivia Ekpone of Nigeria and Bermuda-born Cheria Morgan, who has been running in Canada for several years, and will compete on the island for the first time.

There are six competitors in the women’s 400, including Jamaicans Davita Prendergast, and Jonique Day, and Nadia Cummins-Burton, and Sade Sealey from Barbados.

“In the Island Construction 1,500 men’s race we have several athletes pending, but we will have Lamont Marshall and Chayce Smith running in that event representing Bermuda,” Raynor said.

“In the MAAC 400 hurdles we will have our own Shianne Smith competing, as well as Rushelle Clayton from Jamaica with a time of 56.29, MacKenzie Hill, of the US, with a time of 58.39 and Turquoise Thompson from the US running a time of 54.29. Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica has a best time of 52.79.

“In the Belco long jump we will have Bermuda’s Tyrone Smith who has a personal best of 8.22 metres, Demar Forbes of Jamaica with a personal best leap of 8.00, Aubrey Smith from Canada with a leap of 7.95,” Raynor said.

“We will also feature two of our young athletes, Bruce DeGrilla and Ethan Philip, who we are trying to get exposure for.”

Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica is no stranger to Bermuda, having been here for the KPMG Front Street Mile during the Bermuda Marathon Weekend. She will compete in the Belco 800 where she has a best time of 1:59. Alena Brooks of Trinidad, Samantha James of Jamaica, Megan Krumpoch of the US, and Molly Ludlow should all make for an interesting contest.

Famous will compete again with Emma Kimoto of Canada who won last year’s high jump at the National Championships and has a best jump of 1.83. Tynita Butts of the US and Saniel Atkinson of Jamaica complete the four women in the high jump.

“This is a good opportunity for Sakari to prepare for the World Junior championships,” Douglas said.

Added Raynor: “We have Bermudians, Jamaicans and Trinidadians in Bermuda, I’m saying come out, bring your flags, represent your country and let’s fill the stadium.

“We’re also hoping the president of the IAAF, Sebastian Coe, will be here for the event. I spoke to him and he said he will try his best to be here for Bermuda’s inaugural Permit Meet.”

Douglas used his contacts overseas to bring some top overseas talent to Bermuda.

“I just reached out to the many colleagues that I had the pleasure of building up a relationship over the last 20 years as a coach and athlete,” he said.