Athletics chief Judy Simmons is not ?disappointed? that no track-and-field competitor has qualified for next month?s Olympics.

Noting some of the Island?s best in that discipline have been beset by injuries, the Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) president said certain challenges thwarted their bid to represent the country.

?No, I?m not disappointed. There have been a lot of injuries and the qualifying standards for the Olympics are getting harder for athletes to achieve,? she said.

?Unless we have quite a bit of funding to send people to lots of meets to get exposure, things will get tougher and tougher and we will have fewer people. You can?t develop athletes without funds. That?s the way it is for everybody,? she noted, lauding the achievements of sailors Peter Bromby and Paula Lewin.

?They have done tremendously well but they have had a lot of corporate sponsorship.?

However, Simmons revealed all was not lost as far as Bermuda?s representation in athletics in Athens.

The BTFA are making a case to the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) for sprinter Xavier James to compete in the 100 metres though he has failed to attain the qualifying time of 10.28 seconds.

?The IAAF allows any country that doesn?t have a qualified athlete to put one male and one female unqualified athlete in one athletic event. He (Xavier) is the person that?s the closest in the 100 metres.

?Ashley (Couper) and Tamika (Williams) have both given up trying due to injuries so we decided to put forward a request for him to be accepted under those conditions,? explained Simmons, adding the BTFA is now ?going through the paperwork?.

James? chances of securing one of these special berths into the Summer Games will depend on the number of people already qualified for the 100 metres and the number of other unqualified athletes whose names have also been submitted to the IAAF and the times they have run. He has a season-best of 10.38 seconds wind-aided and 10.40 seconds legally for the short sprint.

While he waits for a decision on this matter, James is continuing to train and compete in North America. On Sunday, he swept aside challengers to win the 100 metres at the Aileen Meagher Championships in Halifax, Canada, in 10.44 seconds.

Despite his slowness, the 27-year-old was still encouraged with such a result on a track that didn?t produce good times for any other athletes. Canadian champion, Richard Abu-Bobie, trailed his Bermudian rival home in third place with 10.48 seconds.

?I?m certainly satisfied with the way things went, it wasn?t my fastest time but everybody else had to struggle on the slow track as well,? said James.

?To brush off the Canadian champion was quite satisfactory and to turn in a decent performance on such a track made the appearance quite positive for me. It also gives me the encouragement to work harder to improve my times.?

Even coach Dennis Mitchell, former American Olympic gold medallist who joined ranks with the Bermudian in Florida in April, apparently felt James performed remarkably on a sub-standard surface.

Saying he has not peaked, the Island?s leading sprinter noted his confidence is high though he has been unable to break his 10.38 effort at the New England Championships.

?I really feel I am in great shape, it?s a matter of mastering the mechanics and that is coming. I would have loved to have had the chance to run against world-class athletes on a regular basis. I feel that if I had that opportunity then I would have long been able to get under 10.28.?