Bermudan long jumper gets wild-card entry

HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC):

Long jumper Arantxa King has been given a wild-card entry into the 2012 London Olympics, officials here said yesterday.

King was accepted with a best leap of 6.55 metres.

Bermuda Track and Field Association president Donna Watson said: "We had to submit a form with the deadline last Friday, and she has been accepted.

"We are very excited and so are Arantxa and her mom, Branwen Smith-King, as we sent it to them this morning. Arantxa still is trying to reach the standard and will be travelling along with Tre Houston and Aaron Evans to the National Championships in Trinidad."

King's 60-year-old Vincen-tian father, Adrian, played two first-class cricket matches for the Windward Islands, before moving to Bermuda in the late 1970s, while her mother Branwen was formerly a leading Bermuda athlete.

King, a former World Youth champion, will join fellow long jumper Tyrone Smith as Bermuda's track and field delegation to the Olympics.

Also qualified are Jesse and Zander Kirkland in sailing, Tyler Butterfield and Flora Duffy in triathlon, Roy Burch in swimming and either Patrick Nisbett or Jillian Terceira for equestrian.