Whisper it quietly but Bermuda may have a chance of picking up a track medal or two at the Junior Pan American Games.

While Caitlyn Bobb has secured her spot in the 400 metres final, which takes place on Wednesday night, the same evening features Nirobi Smith-Mills beginning his 800 metres campaign.

Smith-Mills, 22, goes into the semi-final heats with the third-fastest time among the field this season as he competes for the first time for Bermuda since 2022.

When he assesses his chances of a medal, there is confidence in his voice.

“I’m ecstatic to be here,” Smith-Mills said. “I haven’t run for Bermuda since 2022 at Carifta in Jamaica, and there is no greater honour than to be able to represent your country.

“I saw the entry list on Monday and some of the guys on there are great talents, but I’ve looked at the times and this season I am third fastest.

“The standard is going to be great and it’s going to be a good competition, but I’m in the shape of my life at the moment. However, the race is run on the day and I think that’s what a lot of people forget. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done before, it’s all on the day, but I think I’m as good as a lot of the other guys.”

The 800 metres has the reputation of being one of the toughest events in athletics, with races often run as sprints from start to finish, testing the lung capacity of even the very best.

“Call me biased if you want, but I think it’s the hardest event in track and field,” Smith-Mills said.

“It’s one of those events where you have to be a good endurance runner with a decent aerobic base, but you’ve also got to have enough speed. It’s an event where you can either be a quick guy who does the 800 or an endurance guy who does the 800, but the best are the guys who can do both.

“It’s really hard, as it’s going to the max for two laps, but I’ve recently moved coaches and I’m training with Kyle Bennett, the lead endurance coach at Loughborough University. My training consists of a lot of endurance from October to January and there are a lot of heavy sessions where you throw up at the end.

“I do get a bit nervy before championship races, but with the training I’ve done this year and the work I’ve put in, I feel good. I have run quick this year, but I’ve not felt horrible after a race as yet.”

With the race lasting a little under two minutes, there is plenty of time for thought and tactics can play a huge role. Smith-Mills knows the way he hopes the semi-final will play out.

“If I had my ideal race, it is to sit in second and third and let whoever it is in front dictate the pace, whether that be fast or slow,” he said.

“If you look at the data and how 800 metres races go, the person who leads it off is nine times out of ten not usually the person who wins the race, and if they do it’s because they are so much quicker than their competition.

“I’d prefer to sit in a good position in second and give it whatever I’ve got in the last 200 metres.”

Smith-Mills is also a promising cricketer who took plenty of wickets as a fast bowler for Southampton Rangers before transferring to Somerset in 2023 to advance ambitions of playing in Cup Match. But with a dream of competing at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, he is putting away his bowling spikes for now.

“It’s looking at where the success can come,” he said.

“I’m not going to lie, cricket is my favourite sport, more so than track and field, but it’s where I think I’m going to be able to prosper more — and that is definitely on the track and in the 800 metres.

“Cricket is an amazing sport and I’ve met so many great people and done so many great things. Maybe in a few years when running is done and I’ve achieved that dream of getting to the Olympics, I may come back and try to play a Cup Match or two.

But for now, it’s track all the way.

“Looking at my progress this year and the times I need to run before LA 2028, I think my trajectory is good.”