Sprinter Devon Bean is carrying the Bermuda flag at the World Indoor Championships starting today in Japan -- but there was no place on the plane to the Far East for triple jumper Brian Wellman.

Bean, who competed at both the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 1997 World Athletics Championships in Athens, will take part in the 60 metres on Sunday -- despite not achieving the qualifying standard.

Bermuda Track and Field president Judy Simmons told The Royal Gazette : "We are allowed by the regulations to send one athlete in a running event who has not reached the qualifying standard.'' The 22-year-old, in only his second indoor season at the University of Arkansas, did reach the required mark in three events for last year's Commonwealth Games in Malaysia -- the 100m, 200m and long jump -- but commitments in the US prevented him from travelling.

Meanwhile, Wellman, who missed both the Commonwealth and CAC Games last summer after suffering a knee injury, had set his sights on reclaiming the title he won in Barcelona in 1995.

But stricter qualifying rules meant there was no automatic place for former gold medal winners, while the lack of indoor meets since Christmas has given the athlete, also based in Arkansas, little opportunity to reach the new tough standard.

Simmons commented: "Qualifying meets for the triple jump are not readily available.

"Most of the people qualified during the outdoor season when Brian was injured. The structure has changed so that qualifying for field events is very hard.

"The qualifying standard for entry into the triple jump, 17.15 metres, would have won gold medals outdoors.

"I think for whatever reasons the organisers have tried to narrow it down to eight finalists, so that there are no preliminary rounds.'' Wellman leapt 17.72m to win his gold in Barcelona.

But, instead of competing this week in Maebashi, Wellman, who told this newspaper late last year he felt capable of jumping more than 60 feet (18.28m), will attempt to complete his rehabilitation in time for the Pan American Games in July and the World Championships in Seville, Spain in August.

Lone hope: Sprinter Devon Bean, accompanied by national coach Gerry Swan (right), is the Island's only representative at the World Indoor Championships in Japan, starting today.