Bermuda long jumper Tyrone Smith says his decision to pull out of next month’s Pan Am Games was one of the toughest of his career.Smith believes there would have been a ‘medal with his name on it’ but has opted to rest and recuperate after a long track and field campaign rather than compete in Mexico.He feared that extending his season might have had an adverse effect on his preparations for next summer’s Olympic Games in London the 27-year-old’s top priority.“It was a big decision. I didn’t make a solid decision until I was in South Korea (at the World Championships) when I spoke to BTFA president Donna Watson,” said Smith, who won a gold at last summer’s CAC Games in Puerto Rico.“It was a real tough decision because I just know there was a medal with my name on it out there.“I’m very competitive and I would hate to go there and not be at my best, especially when I know I’m capable of winning a medal.”The last time Smith elongated his season was to enable him to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, 12 months ago.It was a forgettable competition for Smith who failed to deliver the goods; a factor which was key in his decision to skip the Pan Am Games.“I was going back and forth for a while and speaking with my coach (about whether or not I should could compete) all year long,” Smith said.“With the Olympics next year, me and my coach decided it wasn’t in my best interests to extend my season because it messes up my rest period.“The last time I performed so late in the year was at the Commonwealth Games when I didn’t do very well; that was one of the main influencing factors for me.”With the Olympics less than a year away, Smith believed it was awful timing to hold the Games during the track and field off-season a short, but important window for athletes to recharge their batteries.“I really don’t understand why the Pan Am Games are so late; (the organisers) must have known the timing was kind of jeopardising which athletes they were going to have out there,” said Smith, now coached by Kyle Tellez, the son his former coach, the fabled Tom Tellez.“I kind of took stock on what the other competitors were doing not that I base my career decisions on what other athletes are doing but I do know that a lot of the main guys in the region are resting for London. I think it would be wise for me to do the same. I don’t want to be making excuses if I don’t do well at the Olympics.”Smith has already qualified for the Olympic ‘B’ standard (8.10 metres), however he won’t be satisfied unless he meets the ‘A’ standard (8.20) at least once before the biggest sporting event in the world.In preparation for the Olympics, the Houston-based jumper said he would have a full indoor season and hoped to emulate Bermuda triple jump legend Brian Wellman by claiming a medal at the World Championships.“I’m going to be doing a full indoor season next year, which I haven’t done since college,” he said. “I’ll be doing the World Indoor Championships at Istanbul in March and maybe even follow in Brian Wellman’s footsteps and win a medal and use that motivation ahead of the Games.He added: “I’ll be back on the track on October 16, just enough time to let my body unwind, loosen the knots in my muscles, have some pizza, drink some soda enjoy being a regular person for a while.”