Long jumper Tyrone Smith has been earmarked for a bright future after the youngster narrowly failed to qualify for today’s final.

The 22-year-old marked his Pan-Am Games debut with a leap of 7.32m at the Joao Havelange Stadium, to finish 14th out of 20 competitors.

He may have cut a dejected figure after it emerged he had not made the cut, but team manager Branwen Smith-King was full of praise for her athlete who will now set his sights on next year’s Beijing Olympics.

“It was a great experience for Tyrone and this disappointment will only serve to make him stronger for the future,” said Smith-King, who is mother of Bermuda’s Pan-Am hopeful Arantxa King.

“He has a tremendous amount of ability and he must remember this was his biggest ever meet to date.

“I was impressed with how calm he was and he didn’t seem fazed at all despite being up against a field containing an Olympic gold medallist.

“His fouled his first jump but recovered well and he wasn’t that far from qualifying.

“Obviously he was very disappointed and that’s to be expected because he has so much desire to do well.

“He will now evaluate his performance with his coaches and start preparations to qualify for the Olympics next year.”

Born in Bermuda but raised in the US, Smith was invited into the Island’s athletic fold by national coach Gerry Swan after a string of impressive performances for his college.

Irving Saladino, of Panama, topped the field with a jump of 8.38m with Brazilian Rogerio Bispo second, jumping 8.01m. Peruvian Jorge McFarlane clinched the final qualifying spot by jumping 7.38m.

Bermuda’s remaining athletes Arantxa King, in the long jump, and Deon Brangman, in the high jump, will be in action later this week.

And Smith-King, who has high hopes for them both, added: “Bermuda has a very young athletics team and that bodes well for our future — we must keep encouraging them.

“They’re up against some experienced performers — I remember a few coming through when I used to compete and I’m in my 50s.

“Arantxa has nothing to prove and we know she can compete at this level and I’m excited for both her and Deon.”

Former world youth champion King warmed up for the Pan-Am Games by clinching a bronze medal at the Games’ sister competition — the Pan-Am Junior Athletics Championships earlier this month.

It appeared one hack reporting at the athletics yesterday had been enjoying herself a little too much in Rio.

She spent the entire day’s action lying spread-eagled underneath her press box desk at the Joao Havelange stadium fast asleep.

Now it may have only been the first day’s qualifying action but methinks her dozing wasn’t boredom induced.