A world junior record, multiple home medallists, screaming crowds - Carifta Games has been an unprecedented success.

“I'm very, very pleased - delirious,” said Bermuda Track and Field Association president Judy Simmons, who was also the chairperson of the Games' organising committee.

“I am proud of our team and I am proud of the way the event went. We knew what we wanted to do, we knew what could happen and now it has happened.”

Taijaun Talbot, Lovintz Tota, Latroya Darrell and Zindzi Swan all picked up gold medals in the three-day regional Caribbean athletics spectacular, while the team of 22 also managed two silvers and three bronze - despite 15 of them competing in their first Games. This left Bermuda fourth in the medal table.

As well as the local success, the incredible performance of Jamaican teen sensation Usain Bolt, who ran the 200 metres in the fastest time of 2004 on his way to breaking the world junior record, put the icing on the cake of an event for which the build-up was overshadowed by heavy criticism over a row between the BTFA and the Mid-Island Striders over athlete eligibility.

“I don't think the people in Bermuda quite realise what it means to have a world record set here,” continued Simmons, who gave Bermudian medal winners heartfelt hugs throughout the Easter weekend.

“To see a world record in your country really is a special thing - how many countries can boast that?

“And for a country as small as this it is especially impressive considering we haven't even got all our facilities in place.

“There are only four IAAF (athletics' world governing body) certified tracks in the region - and that includes Canada and North America - so for Bermuda to have one is especially important.

“To have a world record set on Bermudian soil is an amazing thing and a new boom in track and field is going to start from now - people are going to want to come here and run.”

And for the development of the junior athletes - who surpassed even the most optimistic expectations with their vast medal haul - Carifta was a wonderful opportunity, said Simmons. “To have them perform on such a stage is a wonderful experience for them,” she said.

“Due to the expense of competing abroad, it is not always possible to give them the international competition that can do so much for them and having Carifta here made that possible.

“Carifta is just the first step in their development and as people like Brian Wellman and Nicky Saunders and Troy Douglas and many others have shown, you can go on from Carifta success to bigger and better things.

“That is how it will be for this crop of youngsters - and we had a very young team this year.”

“People said our team wasn't big enough,” she said, alluding to the row over the 11 Mid-Island athletes who were not able to compete after failing to join the national training squad by the December 15 deadline.

“It was plenty big enough.”

Tota, whose 7.68 metre leap that took him to the under-20 long jump gold, will now be heading off to Italy in July for the World Junior Championships after exceeding the 7.55 metre qualifying standard with his winning leap. Swan narrowly failed to meet the qualifying height in the high jump after failing at 1.82 metres.

As well as the success for the athletes, Simmons said she had received much acclaim from overseas delegations and the IAAF about the way the event was organised.

“Everybody has said that Bermuda has raised the bar for how to run a Carifta Games,” she concluded.

“A lot of people here this weekend have said it is going to be difficult for this to be equalled or surpassed. We are delighted with the way the Games have gone, it is a credit to the hard work of a lot of people over a long period of time.”

Simmons added she was hopeful that there would be some money left over from the Games to fund further development of the Island's junior athletes.