In two weeks, he'll be representing Bermuda in the Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Championships.

The 21-year-old sprinter was one of two late additions to the Island squad, bringing to nine the number of athletes competing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from June 26-28. Middle distance runner Sheldon Thompson also got the nod at a Bermuda Track and Field Association selection committee meeting on Monday.

Technically, the pair failed to crack the qualifying standards for the meet but were deemed close enough to be given special consideration and were unanimously approved by the BTFA executive and national team coach Gerry Swan.

Yesterday's announcement is the latest development in the emergence of James -- and the completion of one of his goals: Being named to the national team.

"I want to be a positive role model for youth,'' he said after winning the 100 metres at the National Track and Field Championships on Sunday. "I want to let people know that soccer and cricket aren't the only sports; that track and field can provide benefits, too.'' A soccer player in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was attending school at Oakwood College, James only turned to track this spring at the urging of a sprinter he had recently met.

"He saw me running one day and said, `Come on over and try it out','' he said.

So he did. And the first thing James said he realised was how competitive he was. "I wasn't able to beat him but I noticed I was staying with him pretty much,'' he recalled.

In short order, James picked up a track scholarship at Alabama A&M University -- he begins his Masters in teaching this fall -- and a coach -- Jamaican national sprinter Wayne Watson. All the while his times dropped.

In his first race he was clocked in 11.4 seconds, losing to fellow Bermudian Atiba Tucker. On Sunday, he beat Tucker by a couple of steps with a hand-held time of 10.9 -- although he has consistently been running 10.7.

Thompson's personal best of 1:55.6 in the 800 metres -- he ran 1:57.8 in a stiff wind on Saturday -- is about a second shy of the qualifying mark but he was also added to the squad because of his consistently strong times.

BTFA spokesman Bob Oliver said that attitude and the encouragement factor also played a role in their selection. "We want to show others that it can be done -- if you live and work here, you can still represent your country,'' he said.

James and Thompson join Tucker, who qualified in the long jump, triple-jumper Brian Wellman, distance runners Jay Donawa, Kavin Smith and Terrance Armstrong and sprinters Troy Douglas and Devon Bean on the squad.

Douglas was a question mark until yesterday, when his brother, Steven, confirmed to the BTFA that the two-time Olympian would sacrifice a couple of potentially lucrative European Grand Prix meets in order to compete for Bermuda.

The only female who made the qualifying standard was high jumper Raneika Bean, but at 13 was deemed too young to take part in such a high-intensity meet.