By Derek deChabertTyrone Smith and Arantxa King walked away with Male and Female Athletes of the Year awards at the Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) banquet on Sunday night at the Southampton Fairmont Hotel.Smith and King, who were also guest speakers for the event, claimed the top prizes after enjoying great years in the international arenaLong jumper Smith won a gold medal at the CAC Games in Mayaguez, posting a leap of 8.06 metres to top the podium.He also officially qualified for both the World Championships and Olympics following his jump at a meet at Rice University in Texas.The event, called ‘All Comers’ and certified by the US Track and Field Association, cost Smith just $10 to enter and he got more than full value as he leapt 8.16 metres, easily reaching the qualifying standards (8.1 metres) for both competitions.King also had a year to remember, jumping a personal best of 6.47 metres, good enough to earn her a silver medal at the CAC Games.She started off the year by claiming a bronze medal at an NCAA meet in Eugene, Oregon.BTFA president Donna Watson said she pleased to hand the respective awards to the pair, who also gave encouraging speeches to the younger athletes that were in attendance.“Both are looking towards London 2012 with Tyrone already qualified and Arantxa hoping to reach the standards,” said Watson. “Tyrone and Arantxa gave great speeches which were directed towards our up and coming athletes about how much hard work has paid off to get them where they are today especially with Arantxa fighting injuries throughout her track career.“They were both exceptional this year.”Ashley Berry was named as the Under-20 Female Athlete of the Year with Shaquille Dill taking the Under-20 Boys title.Bruce Degrilla was voted the Male Athlete of the Year in the Under-17 category and Kyrah Scraders was named Female Athlete of the Year in that group.On the road running circuit, Jennifer Alen and Chris Estwanik took home the Open Female and Male 2011 championships titles, while Deon Breary and Gary Raynor were named the Female and Male Masters champions.Watson thanked all the coaches for their support throughout the year, a list that included Jarita Vickers, Cal Simons, Paul Simons, Devon Bean, Xavier James, Michael Watson, Carifta head coach Brian Wellman and Bill Euler.“We presented our coaches with Achievement awards for all of the hard work they have put in with the athletes and volunteering their time.“I also presented the year in review and focused on how far track and field has come over the last several years and with the amount of youngsters involved our future is looking bright as well discussing our preparations towards the Carifta Games and how well it is progressing.”