Former world youth champion Arantxa King will spearhead Bermuda's medal hopes at the Carifta Games in March after qualifying last weekend.

King finished second in the long jump in her first competition for Stanford University to become the 17th athlete to reach the required standard for the Games, held in St. Kitts.

Her leap of 6.21 metres at a meet at Bosie, Idaho, also saw her provisionally qualify for the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships.

The 18-year-old was one of Bermuda's standout athletes at the 2007 Pan-Am Games in Rio where she finished eighth in the women's long jump final against esteemed competition. Despite her tender years King is also a veteran of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Last weekend also saw Darrion Simons qualify for the Under 17 boys 100m and Shawnae Brangman meet the mark in the girls Under 17 long jump at the National Sports Centre. A number of athletes already qualified for Carifta also met the qualifying mark in other events.

Donna Watson, from the Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) said the squad for Carifta was shaping up to be one of the strongest ever sent to the Games.

Athletes will have another chance to secure a place in the squad at a meet at the NSC this Saturday at 10 a.m.

Athletes qualified for Carifta:

Under 20 Boys

Tre Houston - 200m and 100m

Aaron Evans - 800m

Matthew Spring - 800m

Sean Trott - 5000m

Under 17 Boys

Kyle Virgil - 100m and 200m

Ryan Furbert 800m and High Jump

Darrion Simmons - 100m

Under 20 Girls

Jasmin Brunson Long Jump

Alexis Bean - 1500m and 3000m

Arantxa King Long Jump

Under 17 Girls

Allison Outerbridge - Triple Jump

Taylor-Ashley Bean - 800m and 1500m

Megan Berry - 1500m

Ashley Berry - 3000m, 800m and 1500m

Shuntae Hendrickson - 800m

Kyla Bolden - 800m and 1500m

Shawnae Brangman - Long Jump