Xavier James? hopes of representing Bermuda at the Olympic Games for the first time at Athens this summer received a boost at the weekend when he recorded his best run of the year in the 100 metres.

The 27-year-old Southampton resident turned in a time of 10.38 seconds while competing in the New England Championships in Boston to move tantalisingly close to the qualifying time of 10.28.

His effort chopped seven hundredths of a second off his previous best of 10.45 set in Florida several weeks ago just after he had joined ranks with new coach and former American Olympian Dennis Mitchell.

?I?m happy with my performance. I was flying and I really feel that I should have run a lot faster. But it so happens I didn?t and must do better,? said the Gilbert Institute teacher yesterday.

?I made a few mistakes and perhaps that messed up my chances of beating the qualifying mark on this occasion.

?However, I am very encouraged and I am very confident that success will come my way very soon.?

James got off to a solid start but believes that his mechanics ?weren?t that good? after reaching the half-way mark.

He pointed out that during training everything seemed to be in place and he had recorded some ?terrific times?, but during actual competition he had been unable to reproduce that form.

?I am going to run a lot faster than the qualifying time, my goal is to run 10.01 or even 10.00. I truly feel that I am capable of running that fast. The qualifying standard is just something along the way to what my ultimate goal is this season,? he explained.

?I see it happening. Every time I wake up I feel like a 10.00 second sprinter, mentally I am ready to take it and physically I am close to it. I am not looking for a perfect race, no race is a perfect race, but as long as I can continue to improve as my times get better and better then I will accept that sort of progress.

?My speed is there, every time I run in training, every single day I am on pace or faster than the qualifying standard. But everything has to come together during the rare opportunity I get while attending these meets.?

This weekend James intends to compete in another top meet in Indiana before turning his attention to the Canadian National Championships in Victoria on July 9-11.