January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Smith qualifies for Olympic long jump final
FRIDAY, AUGUST 3: Tyrone Smith saved his best for last today and reeled off a season best 7.97m long jump to qualify for the finals.
Smith was on the verge of being eliminated with leaps of 7.73 metres and 7.75 metres on his first two attempts, which had him languishing around 20th and well outside the top 12 placing he needed to make the final.
The long jumper, who is not short on bravado, put it together for his last jump, almost hitting the 8 metres mark.
Smith told the Bermuda Sun prior to the Games: "My goal for the Olympics is pretty simple — get on the medal stand by any means necessary. An athlete pours their heart and soul into preparations for the Olympics. I feel that if you’re going and it’s not your goal to be a medal contender then you should just go get a regular job or career because it’s far more lucrative."
Fellow Bermudian long jumper Arantxa King congratulated Smith on Twitter shortly after he qualified.
The final will take place on Saturday.
Smith’s personal best is 8.22 metres.
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