FOR Paula Lewin and her Yngling crew these Olympic Games have been a bitter and cruel experience. Lewin is currently in last place after 10 races with one more to go on Saturday in the waters off Athens. It is a scene she did not envisage after a tough three-year campaign which saw excellent results from top regattas from all over the world. During yesterday's ninth and tenth races she and crew of sister Peta Lewin and Christine Patton finished in last place among the 16-boat fleet and then did a little better during the tenth race and finished in 11th place.

But for swimmer Kiera Aitken the Games have certainly put a smile on her face and that of her coach David Fry after the Bermudian broke her national record in the 100 metres backstroke and won her heat. And although Aitken, who swims for the Dalhousie University swim team, didn't make it past the opening round after finishing 31st overall, it must have given her hope for the future ? especially for the 2008 Games in China.

Bermuda's Chef de Mission Phillip Guishard said of Aitken's swim: "She perform very, very well. To break your own national record at the Olympics showed that she was confident and ready for these Games. Bermuda should be proud of her."

And the same can be said for three day eventer Tim Collins who was competing in his first Olympics. Although Collins wasn't completely satisfied with his dressage performance during the first day of his competition on Monday, he went clear in the gruelling cross country and only had one fence down in the show jumping on Wednesday to finish in the middle of the pack in 36th place. As his father Michael Collins, who is also the chef d'equipe for his son, said: "We are not complaining ? it is his first Olympics and it will be good experience for the next one. We are delighted at how well he did ? we are very proud although he is not satisfied."

Bermuda has only won one medal at the Olympics ? Clarence Hill's bronze medal in Montreal at 1976 in heavyweight boxing ? and it gets harder every four years as the athletes from around the world get better and, more importantly, become pure professionals. The word 'amateur' can no longer be applied to the Olympics except in a few cases for the smaller countries.

Now Bermuda will look ahead to the second half of these Games in Greece when Tyler Butterfield takes on the best in the triathlon on Thursday, Xavier James runs in the 100 metres on Saturday, Katura Horton-Perinchief dives in the three-metre springboard competition on Wednesday and Peter Bromby, along with crew Lee White, sails in the first race in the Star class regatta on Saturday.

If Bermuda do manage to win a medal it will no doubt come from Bromby who was so close to the bronze in Sydney when he finished fourth. Going into these Games the Bermudian was ranked third in the world and recently came off two victories at major regattas in Europe. Before leaving Bermuda for Athens Bromby said: "We want it (a medal) bad...I know it's within our grasp."

But for Bermuda's women sailors, these 2004 Games will be of bad memories.

Chef de Mission Guishard said yesterday from Athens: "It is fair to say that things have not been going well for them. But you could see how good they are especially when they finished in fourth place in the opening race (last Saturday). And then they had a sixth place in the third race. Paula and her crew have suffered a bit of bad luck in these Games and no matter who you are or what sport you are competing in, you do need a little luck. But she and the crew are hanging in there."

Despite Lewin and crew's poor showing Guishard said he was pleased with the way things were going in Athens.

"Generally speaking things are great," he said. "Athens and the facilities have surpassed expectations in terms of organisation and preparation for the Games. Everyone has been pleasantly surprised and the team settled in nicely."

In the first Yngling race yesterday (the ninth of the regatta) Lewin and crew were in 12th position at the first mark and held their own until the second mark but then slipped back to 14th position by the third mark and slipped again to the rear by the fourth mark and failed to make up any ground after that.

In the second race of the day (the tenth) they had a better start and by the first mark they were in ninth place and then moved up by the second mark into seventh place but by the fourth mark they had slipped back to tenth place and then 11th place by the fifth mark where they stayed until crossing the finish line.

The gold medal for the Yngling class was won yesterday by the Great Britain team of Shirley Robertson, Sarah Webb and Sarah Ayton.

COLLINS

As for Collins, his father said: "For his first Olympics he did pretty good. I know he would not have settled for 36th place at the start of the Olympics but I certainly would have. He may have finished ever better had he not knocked down a fence in the jumping which was a bit of a shame. His horse (Delton Magna) had to be really looked after ? he is not a strong horse as such but he went really well. We are delighted. Only one rail down at the Olympics is very good and going clear in the cross country is simply fantastic. I think it is the best result Bermuda has had at the Olympics. We are not complaining ? it is his first Olympics and it will be good experience for the next one."

Collins could have gone to the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 but elected not to. Father Michael explained: "He didn't go to Atlanta because he didn't think his horse (Brincador) could take the heat. And that was really the last time we have had a horse (ready for the Olympics) since then."

Collins had two horses qualified for these Games in Athens but in the run into the Olympics his second horse, Mr. K. Starr, came up injured with an inflamed tendon. Michael Collins said: "We had to look after this one (Delton Magna) because one already went lame before the Games so we had no backup horse. With only one horse we could not overdo it before the Games. We couldn't train him as hard as we would have done if we had had two horses. But I must say Delton Magna did very well ? we have no complaints about him. He is in good condition and performed well."

Following the tough cross country on Tuesday, Delton Magna was a little dehydrated. "The vets put him on a drip but he was OK. And before the jumping he trotted up well ? he was sound as a pound. After the jumping he was well ? he was tired but he had had a long week to 10 days. He was travelling and competing and we had him working in the morning and afternoon."

And Delton Magna had only a day to rest in his stall before he was shipped out back to England yesterday. "They still have to get the (individual) show jumping and dressage in. They don't mess about here ? they ship them in and ship them out."

FACILITIES

While many questioned whether Athens would be ready for these Games and also whether the facilities would be of the required high standard for an Olympics, Collins was full of praise for the organisers.

"The facilities are unbelievable ? they are the best riding facilities I have ever seen anywhere. They are seriously unbelievable! There are misting fans everywhere for the horses to keep cool, scales to weigh the horses before and after exercising, runner mats everywhere and the vets have been very helpful. You really could not ask for more."

As far as the dreaded Athens heat went, Collins said they had been a bit lucky. "Yes it has been hot. But is has also cooled down just when we needed it for the cross country. It was a bit hot for the jumping but you have to realise that you cannot get away from the heat in Athens in the summer. It is something you have to accept but we have been lucky ? we have had the right temperature on the right days."

After the dressage phase Collins had 59.40 penalty points and then after going clear in the cross country he was given 9.20 penalty time points and was handed 13 penalty points in the show jumping. While Delton Magna goes back to Collins' farm in England, the Collins family will be having a short holiday in Greece. Michael Collis said: "We are going to cruise around on a boat and we hope to go over to the sailing course and cheer on Peter Bromby. I don't know how close we can get but we will certainly try to get on the horn and give him some support."

Head of the Bermuda Equestrian Federation, Michael Cherry, said after Collins' Olympic debut: "We are very happy with the way he performed ? especially going clear in the cross country stage which is very tough on an Olympic course. I am happy both as the head of the BEF and also as the vice president of the Bermuda Olympic Association. Hopefully we can get two or perhaps more riders in the eventing competition in four years time and have a team which is something we have always wanted. And maybe we will see some of our younger riders come through ? hopefully they will be inspired by what Tim has accomplished."

ROQUE

Bermuda also had another interest in the three day event competition. Garry Roque who was born on the island and competed at the highest level for Bermuda, was initially named as a reserve to Canada's three day team. But after their training camp before travelling to Athens, Roque was named to the team and finished in 55th place individually.

Roque, who obtained his Canadian citizenship in 1997 after competing for Bermuda at the 1990 World Equestrian Games and the 1991 Pan Am Games, said: "It is great to be here. My horse (Waikura) travelled well from Canada and he is fitter than he ever has been in his life ? he is a real steady Eddie ? good at all three disciplines."

Of the cross country course Roque said that it was designed to make it look easy when it is not. "The designer uses the terrain quite well."

The hilly 5.7 kilometre test in Athens was designed by Italian course designer Albino Garbari, and consists of 34 fences of up to 1.5 metres-high, hedges and water obstacles.

DRAMA

There was also drama yesterday in the eventing competition. Originally it was announced that Germany's riders had won the gold medal on Wednesday after the three-day team event finished but then they "lost it" and then won it back in a bizarre flurry of judging decisions and reversals.

France, Britain and the United States ? the three teams caught in the middle of the judges' indecision ? said they would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Athens to reverse the turnabout that briefly gave the US team the bronze.

Initially, the judges gave Germany the gold and France the silver, while Britain took bronze.

But the same officials, concerned that Germany's Bettina Hoy might have crossed the start line twice on the show jumping course, then docked Germany 14 points, dropping it from first place to fourth with 147.8 points in a decision that lifted the United States to third and the bronze.

Germany then lodged a protest, an equestrian appeals committee reversed the judges' decision ? and the Germans reclaimed their gold. Once again, France were awarded the silver and Britain the bronze. The United States were left empty-handed.

Hoy went on to win the individual three-day gold Wednesday night. Leslie Law of Britain won the silver aboard Shear L'Eau, and America's Kim Severson on Winsome Adante took the bronze.

Meanwhile, the grand prix dressage riders and show jumpers ? specialists separate from the three-day team event ? prepared for their own events. Dressage begins today.

To emphasise the danger of three day eventing, the cross country, the second leg of the eventing competition in which Collins went clear, cost 10 riders their lives in the year before the last Olympics.