A hamstring injury has forced triple jumper Jah-Nhai Perinchief to withdraw from the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association Senior Championships, which begin today in Freeport, Bahamas.

The absence of Perinchief's saw the Bermuda team being reduced from the initial six to five.

According to DeVon Bean, the national coach, Perinchief, a silver medal-winner at the championships two years ago in Freeport, was determined to take the leap for Bermuda until he was advised by his medical team that he needs more time to recuperate.

“It was a last-minute pitch from his physiotherapist,” Bean told The Royal Gazette.

“He got injured at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, Tennessee. That was in the middle of July. He got a follow-up assessment and the injury was worse than initially anticipated.

“He was advised to pull out of this meet and go for extensive rehab; that’s why he’s not here with us.

“He’s our premier athlete at the moment, with medals at the Commonwealth Games and NACAC Championships, so it’s hard to lose someone of his pedigree. But when your body requires rest of repair, you have to listen to it.”

Bean, who left the island yesterday with Ryan Outerbridge and Tiara DeRosa, linked up in Freeport with Dage Minors, Caitlyn Bobb and Sakari Famous.

Bobb will be the first Bermudian athlete to take to the track at the Grand Bahamas Sports Complex tonight night in the 400 metres before she heads off to compete at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay.

Tomorrow, DeRosa is throwing the discus, while on Sunday Minors and Outerbridge tackle the 1,500 metres, while Famous competes in the high jump.

Commenting on the team’s chances of clinching a medal, Bean conceded that it will be a tough task, considering what the Bermudian athletes are up against.

“NACAC is the premier meet in our region,” he said.

“You’re looking at countries like the United States, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean countries. So the expectation of winning a medal is biased. We all go into competition expecting to win medals, but this is the best of the best.

“Most of these top athletes will leave here and go straight to Europe, then right after that to the World Championships. Medals will be hard to come by, but we’re definitely going out there to fight for them.”