Bermuda athletes Allison Outerbridge and Jasmine Brunson both reached their respective finals at the Penn Relays - the largest track meet in the US.

Outerbridge, 16, posted a personal best of 11.47 metres in the triple jump, coming eighth, while Brunson, also 16, finished sixth in the long jump, recording a leap of 5.68 metres.

Brunson, who attends BHS, and Outerbridge, from Mount St. Agnes, performed at the four-day competition held in Philadelphia, last week and were accompanied by Mid-Island Striders coach Bill Euler.

Euler said the girls were the first Bermuda-based athletes to compete at the meet since the mid-1990s.

"It's difficult to get athletes qualified for this meet but next year we hope to have a relay team out there," said Euler. "Both Jasmine and Allison performed very well and Allison posted a personal best in the triple jump.

"It was a great experience for both of them with more than 100,000 spectators in attendance. If the Penn Relays does not inspire you as an athlete then I don't think anything will."

Bermuda's athletes stayed at the same hotel as many of the professional performers and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jeremy Wariner, Sanya Richards, Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon and were able to watch them train.

This year's Relays attracted 22,000 participants from around 60 countries - more than the Olympic Games - and featured African athletes for the first time in the competition's history.