They were Bermuda athletics' 'Three Musketeers' who swashbuckled their way to medal glory from the late 1980s to the mid '90s.

Now Troy Douglas, Nicky Saunders and Brian Wellman hope their past triumphs can help put Bermuda back on the sporting map by inspiring the Island's next generation of athletes to achieve greatness on the world stage.

The former track trio were reunited for the first time in many years as guest speakers at Bermuda Track and Field Association's (BTFA) awards banquet at the Fairmont Hamilton Hotel on Saturday evening.

Time has not diminished the special bond between the firm friends who laughed, joked and hugged as they entertained the banquet's guests with colourful tales from their globetrotting days.

"You saw how me Troy and Nicky were joking around tonight, well, that's how it always was. There's a lot of respect there," said former world indoor triple jump champion Wellman.

Next year will see Douglas, Saunders and Wellman play their part in returning Bermuda track and field to its former glory by sharing their knowledge, expertise and overseas contacts with the Island's elite athletes.

A chance meeting with Netherlands coach, Douglas, at the World Championships in Berlin last summer resembled a "light bulb moment", for BTFA president Donna Watson. It was when she realised the importance of bringing Bermuda's top three all-time athletes back onboard.

Douglas did not need much persuading. He said he was "sold" by the passion Watson displayed during their conversation and believed it was his duty to give back to Bermuda track and field.

"Helping Bermuda track and field is something that I am more than happy to do and I had a long conversation about it with Donna in Berlin," said Douglas, who won a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in 1995.

"The way she presented it to me with the passion she displayed, well, I was sold completely.

"As for the role I can perform? That is still a work in progress. I have to send Donna my agenda for 2010 and my free time is there for her. I am my own boss and call my own shots, so if she needs to be at a certain place I can probably arrange that.

"I've got a really positive feeling with Donna, she has really impressed me and I could have hugged her all night tonight.

"I am really, really happy that the BTFA have made a stand like this and brought us along tonight to let the young kids now there is something to inspire to. Not only can they be like us but they can be better than us."

During Saturday's banquet, which was MC'd by former top sprinter Debbie Jones-Hunter, Wellman was presented with his Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame award having been unable to attend the ceremony early this month.

He said it was looking forward to helping Bermuda track and field from behind the scenes from his coaching base in Arkansas, in the United States.

"I have previously helped Bermuda athletes get into universities in the States," said Wellman, who spoke to a group of young athletes at the National Sports Centre earlier in the day. "I have a lot of useful contacts and I know who the good coaches are in each particular field.

"I've always volunteered that. I've always tried to have that input behind the scenes to try and make sure an opportunity can be as good as it possibly can be."

He said joining Nicky Saunders in the Hall of Fame was "a culmination of his life's work".

"You always hope people respect what you achieved during your career," he said. "It's special to know that people in Bermuda respect and appreciate what I did.

"For me it's not about looking back on what I did in my career, it's about looking forward and inspiring the next generation. Tonight has put us back in the limelight to some degree and hopefully the kids can look at us and think, 'hey, there were some Bermudian guys before me who actually performed at a high level'."

London-based Saunders, who won the gold medal in the high jump at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1990, said it was crucial Bermuda athletes started thinking beyond simply being the best on the Island.

"A lot of our sportsmen and women think of themselves of the 'kings of swing' on the Island, but when we leave Bermuda they realise they are the bottom of the barrel. But the natural talent is definitely here, though.

"Look at our junior athletes who regularly beat the Jamaicans. We need to ensure they keep on improving and keep on encouraging them."