Bermuda long jumper Tyrone Smith admits he experiences nerves each time he competes, but believes the jitters bring out the best in him.In fact, nervousness is the one emotion that doesn’t make Smith nervous before a major competition.Without it, he doesn’t feel he would be able to compete at the top level.“There’s never been an event when I’m not nervous,” said Smith.“If I didn’t feel nervous then I wouldn’t perform well. I like having nerves, that’s when I’m at my best.”The 28-year-old’s stock has certainly risen since the Olympics where he reached the final of the men’s long jump.His popularity has also grown, both home and abroad following his impromptu jig during the opening ceremony that caused a storm on Twitter, exploding with thousands of tweets.Although he was born in Bermuda, Smith spent his formative years in the US, but believes increasingly more Bermudians are becoming aware of his sporting exploits.“I feel a bit of extra pressure to perform after getting so close to a medal at the Olympics — the expectations are definitely higher,” said Smith, who competed for only the second time on the Island at this year’s National Championships.“A lot of people in the sporting world already knew me but I think more people in Bermuda might know my name now and expect a little bit more from me.”Smith, who along with Arantxa King and Aaron Evans received sponsorship from Bermuda Healthcare Services earlier this week, believes the Island’s track and field programme will flourish under new head coach Troy Douglas.“Me and Troy have had contact for while even before he was named national coach,” Smith said.“I’d seen him at the World Championships when he was with the Netherlands and we’re on the same page. We both believe in the same grassroots levels of support for the Bermuda National Athletic Association.”The Houston-based athlete is running for a board of director’s position in the Track and Field Athletes Association (TFAA).He hopes to be elected at the annual TFAA meeting next Friday in Daytona, Florida, USA.The TFAA members will be electing board members for the next two-year term. There are seven positions available and, if elected, Smith would represent the Caribbean region to ensure the interests of their athletes were promoted on the international stage.