Bermuda's seven-member team at the CAC Championships in Barbados had to overcome difficult conditions on their way to winning three medals, national coach Gerry Swan revealed yesterday.

Athletes from some 26 countries had to deal with strong winds on the opening day as well as high temperatures during the three-day meet.

Still, Bermuda's senior trio prevailed, triple jumper Brian Wellman and runners Kavin Smith and Terrance Armstrong all getting among the medals.

Wellman clinched the gold with a jump of 16.36 metres in windy conditions on Sunday night after Smith had finished second in the half-marathon in 1:09.27, less than a minute outside the winning time turned in by a runner from St.

Vincent who was one of two brothers competing in the race.

Armstrong was second in the 1500 metres, pipped for the gold by just three 100ths of a second by a runner from Mexico. Armstrong ran 3:46.77 while the winning time was 3:46.74.

"Terrance ran a very smart race, it wasn't about just going out and trying to run fast,'' said Swan. "It was about racing smart. He couldn't have run it any better.

"You had Brian who won a gold medal and Terrance and Kavin who won silver medals and then in two other events we came close to having other medals added to that tally. Devon Bean missed out on a bronze medal in the long jump by a mere three centimetres and Ashley Couper missed a medal by four 100ths of a second in the women's 1500 metres final.'' While the trip was seen as a learning experience for Xavier James, Simmons and Couper, Wellman, Armstrong and Smith always carried the team's medal hopes.

And they didn't disappoint.

"Brian is very experienced, he's in the top six in the world in his discipline and is somebody who has enjoyed single digit world rankings every year during this decade,'' Swan noted.

"Then we had first-timers who experienced their first senior international competition in Damian Simmons and Ashley Couper.

"The conditions were difficult on most occasions. On the Friday morning, the first session of the first day's competition, it was extremely windy and it made running somewhat challenging.'' Added Swan: "In the 100 metres we had winds changing to the extent that in some heats runners had a very strong tailwind, as strong as 6.7 metres per second, whereas when Devon ran his race there was a headwind of two metres per second.

"Even in the horizontal jumps the wind made jumping far more challenging than usual because of the strength of the wind. Brian, in his first jump and because of the wind factor, ended up being more than two feet behind the board. The actual measurement was 16.36 metres but the actual distance jumped would have been closer to or over 17 metres.

"So when we look at seven athletes, three medals and two fourth place finishes it was a very outstanding achievement.'' The majority of the team returned to Bermuda on Monday evening, but with Wellman and Armstrong staying in the United States where they are based -- Arkansas and Virginia respectively -- and Smith on standby and missing the flight, none of the medal winners came back with the team.

Smith finally flew in early yesterday and was met at the airport by Swan. Both showed off medals, Smith his silver and Swan holding Wellman's gold which he brought back.

"At the (Barbados) airport he pulled it out of his bag and said `here coach','' said Swan of Wellman's gesture before he, Bean and Armstrong caught a separate flight to Miami. Swan plans to hand the medal over to Wellman's family.

Wellman was due to fly to Switzerland yesterday for a meet there before joining up with Bean and Swan for a competition camp in Phoenix in the build-up to Pan-Ams.

"That level of competition is a bit higher and will test the resolve of the athletes,'' said Swan of the Pan-Am Games. "There will be athletes from Canada, the US and South America and winning medals will be a greater challenge.'' Smith's name isn't currently among those pencilled in for the Pan-Am Games as the two-week festival does not have a half-marathon.

However, it's understood he could be put forward for the full marathon (26.2 miles).