the clock and a six point deficit staring them in the face, Brian Wellman has chosen to go for it all.

Currently enjoying a brief vacation on the Island with his girlfriend Carla, Bermuda's premier triple jumper said that he aims to reach the top and will do all within his powers to attain that goal of being "number one''.

"When I get out of this sport I'm not going to say `what if?'...I'll go down in history as one of the best triple jumpers of all time,'' said Wellman, a senior at Arkansas University majoring in architectural drafting.

"The key is persistence. Believing in yourself. Using the God-given talent to the best of your ability.

"I'm not going to get out of the sport until I've achieved a few things in which I wish to achieve.

"I look at my personal record now and remember when I would have died to jump that far. Now I want to go and put some landmarks out there...go into unchartered territory where no one else has been.'' Big words, especially considering Wellman endured somewhat of a letdown this year where he fell well short of stated intentions of winning a medal at the World Outdoor Championships in Stuttgart, Germany -- he finished eighth.

A leap of 56 feet, eight inches proved to be his best effort, good for third place during the World Indoor Championships in Toronto, Canada, and his top finish was a first at the S & W Modesto meet in California, where he soared 56 feet, three inches.

Still the disappointment in Germany and not being able to crack the 57 foot barrier -- he had several foul jumps that exceeded it -- weighed heavily on Wellman's mind.

"This year was kind of flat,'' he said. "I didn't have any peaks like I would have wanted.

"I know why my season wasn't all that bad, the lack of base training -- squats, lunges and all that fun stuff (in the gym) -- hindered me. Mainly because of my back injury in '92 I couldn't do as much training as I would have liked late in the year and it just sort of carried over to this year.

"(But) I started out the season jumping well. A new personal record, a new national record indoors and then I was jumping pretty good outdoors. The first couple of meets I was over the 56 foot barrier and had some promising foul jumps over 57.'' Undaunted and having learned valuable lessons about himself, his body and what it will take to be a champion, Wellman heads into 1994 focussed on erasing any memories of past failures with the Commonwealth Games and the $130,000 Grand Prix Finals included on his upcoming agenda.

He still remains obsessed with breaking the world record of 58 feet, 111 inches set by American Willie Banks in 1985 in Indianapolis.

"I'm tired of the World record,'' added Wellman. "It's been there too long, nine years...it's had its time.

"Last year I wasn't as strong as I wanted to be when I needed to be. This upcoming year people should look out for me, because I'm on a mission.

"It's really upsetting for me to look at my best jump, my personal record.

I'm not satisfied, I don't think 56 feet seven-and-a-half inches is any indication of how far Brian Wellman could jump.

"I guess I get wrapped up in the world with all the best jumpers jumping 57 feet, 58 feet. I don't think they're any more of an athlete than I am and I've got to fix that problem.

"And I know that when I jump 58 feet I will continue to do so on a regular basis. That's what it takes to be number one, to jump far on a consistent basis.'' HIGH EXPECTATIONS -- "I'll go down in history as one of the best triple jumpers of all time,'' said Brian Wellman, who was Bermuda's athlete of the year in 1993.