Young triathlete Ryan Gunn will represent his country at the inaugural Youth Olympics this summer, after being invited to compete in Singapore by the International Olympic Committee.

Gunn will join athletes Jeneko Place, Taylor Ashley-Bean and an as yet unknown BYTE sailor, as the fourth member of the Island's team, for the August event.

After originally missing out on a qualifying spot, even though he shattered his personal best at the meet in Monterrey, Mexico, Gunn was invited to compete by the IOC, who offered him one of their universality spots.

Bermuda Olympic Association sent a letter to ITU sports director Gergely Markus accepting on Gunn's behalf, and the teenager can't wait to get to Singapore.

"Having a chance to meet athletes from all over the world at one event is going to be absolutely amazing," said Gunn. "I have been lucky enough to travel to Australia, Canada and Mexico to compete with other elite juniors in the sport and can't wait to see some of the people I have now become friends with from around the world."

Gunn will warm up for the Youth Olympics with training camps in the US, Canada and the UK, and one day hopes to emulate fellow Bermudian Tyler Butterfield, who he finished behind in the recent Tokio Millennium Sprint Triathlon.

"I have ten years to catch him! It's great when hard training and dedication pays off," said Gunn. "There is always an element of luck especially on the bike. Nothing is more frustrating when you get a flat tyre. Of course, I have had my share of those and bad training and competing days but I now take one day at a time."

The triathlete has been competing in the sport since the age of six and has been training with the help of Neil deSte Croix, president of the Bermuda Triathlon Association.

And despite still being only 16, Gunn has already turned his hand to developing the next generation of Bermuda triathletes, by helping out at the Tri Hedz triathlon training sessions which are held at Clearwater Beach on Saturday mornings.

n Bermuda's Henry Stevens-Carty won the 800 metres at The Music City distance Carnival in Tennessee over the weekend.

Stevens-Carty, who will compete at the Bermuda Track and Field Association's (BTFA) National Championships later this month, finished in a personal best time of one minute, 52 seconds.

Sprinter Jeneko Place came third in the 100 metres at the NTC Stars Invitational in Clermont, Florida.

His time of 10.69 was also a personal best. In the 200 metres heats he placed second with another PB time 21.22