metres may be even more extraordinary than first thought.

Fifteen-year-old Bean, who picked up the gold medal in the women's event, was timed at 11.28 seconds in her heat in Trinidad -- setting a new Carifta record and beating the previous Bermuda best set by Debbie Jones more than 20 years ago.

But from a search through the record books it now seems that only one woman of that age has ever bettered Bean's time -- American Angela Williams, who ran four hundredths of a second faster in June 1995.

Williams has since improved her time -- she ran 11.14 last year -- but she was 17 at the time.

And only one girl of 15 bettered 11.60 in 1997: Italy's Erica Marchetti, but even she managed only 11.44.

Bean's time certainly raised eyebrows among track and field figures back in Bermuda -- to the extent that some questioned such variables as wind speed, the accuracy of the distance and the quality of time-keeping.

But Peter Matthews, a statistician with world governing body the IAAF and editor of International Athletics Annual, published in England, said: "Statisticians such as I have to judge results with impartiality and would always give the benefit of the doubt to athletes because there are circumstances in which major breakthroughs occur -- for example Bob Beamon's 1968 Olympic jump.

"A time of 11.28 for a 15-year-old girl is indeed extraordinary, but obviously not impossible. However, I can well imagine it being doubted on the grounds that this would be amazing by someone even a year or two older.

"Her time will also come to be judged by her subsequent achievements. If she cannot get anywhere near this again then one might well doubt it.

"But, of course, if she is an exceptional talent, then that will be demonstrated -- unless she has some calamity.

"On checking I note that she was sixth in the U17 Carifta Junior Games in 1997 with 12.36 and the race was won in 12.03. So she has made a big improvement, but from the age of 14 to 15 that could, of course, happen.'' He added: "11.28 is special. However, the main question is: did it happen? Time-keeping systems can go wrong, but surely there would have been back up hand-timing. And were other results for other races producing faster times than expected for the athletes?'' The answer may lie with the track. The mondo surface at the Hasely Crawford Stadium is newly-laid and top Trinidadian sprinter Ato Boldon, bronze medal winner at 100m and 200m in the Atlanta Olympics, had predicted records would fall.

In all, 11 did, including some of Carifta's oldest marks, and two more were equalled. Bob Oliver, a former vice-president of the Bermuda Track and Field Association, had some initial reservations but was convinced following a BTFA meeting.

He said: "It's an absolutely excellent performance.

"Raneika is talented -- of that there's no doubt. It's so exceptional for a person to improve to the extent that she has, that it's almost unheard of.

"It's a tremendous boost for athletics on the Island. I understand she's a very talented athlete in other ways so we would be very anxious that she stays within the track and field programme.''