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Long-jumper Tyrone Smith may be Bermuda's best hope of an Olympic medal in over a decade.

But the 23-year-old, who finished 15th in Beijing, is funding his shoe-string campaign for 2012 on his commission as a car salesman.

The Houston based athlete - who will compete in his first meet of the year this weekend - had hoped his performance in China and the buzz that followed about improving the team for London 2012 would result in more assistance for his efforts.

But he now believes that was 'just talk' and he is back at square one, swapping his tracksuit for a shirt and tie to follow training sessions with shifts in the Audi showroom and flying out to international meets at the weekends.

Smith's main aim for 2009 is to qualify for the World Championships in Berlin. And he says he would sell everything he owns to help fund his efforts, but he could use some help

"I didn't imagine things happening like this. I was hoping all that buzz that followed the Olympics would be more than just buzz - that we would be able to ride that wave and get some increased funding.

"There's a lot of deserving athletes representing Bermuda who don't get the support they need."

Smith, ranked 47 in the world, is currently training with legendary long jump coach Tom Tellez.

He gets some support from the Bermuda Olympic Association to help with his training but believes the Government should do more to support athletics and swimming if it wants a more competitive Olympic team.

His comments come in the wake of fellow Olympian Roy Allen Burch's claim that he may have to quit swimming if he does not get more funding.

"For an athlete the death of a dream due to financial issues is unacceptable.

"I have sold personal belongings, worked multiple jobs while training and defaulted on financial obligations to make my dreams come true. "At a certain point you say, 'I have given everything I can give and now I need some more help'. Depending on the quality of athlete and potential they show, they should receive that help.

"Athletes like Roy Burch and myself, who are considered the best in our sports for the island, are certainly deserving of more support from the Government."

He said he was 'more than grateful' for the support he'd received from the Bermuda Olympic Association so far. But meeting the ever increasing standards for top international meets is a tough business.

And he believes that many athletes are caught in a no-mans land between collegiate and professional sports without the means to continue competing.

"What will gain Bermuda more world recognition? $15m for a cricket or soccer team that may make it to a World Cup or may not, or $1m into swimming or track where you have an athlete or multiple athletes make finals at the World Championships and Olympics?"

Smith admits the global economic downturn has hampered his efforts to get corporate sponsorship.

But he is determined to be in London for 2012 even if he has to fund his efforts on his own.

"There's no way in the world I'll give up because of dollars and cents.

"If I have to sell everything I own to do this then that's what I'll do. You're only young for so long. This opportunity won't come again."

Sports Minister El James talked optimistically of revamping the Elite Athlete's Programme and providing more funding for an improved Olympic effort in 2012.

He has since moved on to the department of education and none of those plans have come to fruition.

Smith believes Bermuda could take a look at the U.K. system for a model of a successful programme.

"As many of the Bermuda athletes were born with U.K. Citizenship the U.K.'s programme is a good example I think.

"Individually I receive about 35 per cent of what I would receive if I was in the U.K. system as a "B" athlete which is what BOA qualifies me as. That is just in government support alone.

"If you take into account the amount of endorsements an athlete from the U.K. receives due to their marketability and population of their countries the percentage could not even be calculated."

Smith has been in base training since October and will get back on the track for the first meet of the season in Houston on Saturday.

He said he was 'excited' to get back into competition and was hopeful of breaking the 8:05 B standard or 8:20 A standard qualification marks for the World Championships this season.

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