Bermudian Kemari Dill was controversially denied a gold medal at the Special Olympics in Berlin despite winning the 100 metres final.

Dill won all his heats and the final, setting a personal-best time, but Special Olympics rules deemed his improvement was too great for his category with organisers refusing to recognise his achievements or to recategorise him. He was instead just handed a participation medal.

At the Special Olympics, contests are separated into divisions based on previous times, with a maximum improvement rate of only 20 per cent allowed in each event.

The organisers say the purpose of this is to promote honesty of effort at all stages of qualifying.

Dill was not the only competitor at the Special Olympics to be denied a medal in this way, with Irish swimmer Stephen Browne failing to pick up a gold medal after knocking four seconds off his personal best to win the 25 metres freestyle event.

His coach, Liam Madden, was furious when speaking to local newspaper The Longford Leader.

“How are you supposed to train him for that? Tell him to slow down?” Madden said.

“The Special Olympics is not about limitations, it’s supposed to be about what you can achieve.

“I’ve had swimmers disqualified previously for technical reasons, such as performing the wrong stroke, but this is different.”

Dill’s situation was the low point in an otherwise fantastic Games for the Bermuda squad, with their total of 11 medals beating the eight they won in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Micah Lambert led the way by winning gold in the men’s singles tennis competition.

Lambert defeated Nadav Sarfati, of Israel, 4-1, 4-2 in the final on Saturday to give the island its second gold at the Games after the success of bowler Alshauntae Symons on Friday.

There were more tennis medals at the weekend, with Bridget Marshall capturing bronze in the women’s singles and Zafar O’Loughlin picking up bronze in the men’s singles. Lambert and Marshall also won bronze in the mixed doubles.

Patrick Thomas won silver in the men’s singles bowling with Wayne Smith securing bronze and Tiannai Lowe claiming bronze in the women’s singles. Solay Thomas picked up bronze in the shot put, with Kris Trott and Laura Repose picking up the same colour medal for their efforts in the level B 200 and 800 metres respectively.