Bermuda will be represented in at least one class at the Pan American Games sailing regatta in Santiago, Chile, next year.

Adriana Penruddocke secured the island’s spot after producing a solid display competing in the Laser Radialat the ILCA North American Championships held in Kingston, Ontario, this month.

She finished second in her division and third overall, which was good enough to clinch Bermuda’s place at the Games, which will be held from October 20 to November 5.

“Going into the event my coach and I knew about the chances of qualifying the country for a spot, but we decided to take this pressure off myself by sticking to our process and taking each race one at a time,” Penruddocke, who posted five top-five finishes with a best showing of first in the ten-race series, told The Royal Gazette.

“I didn’t put any pressure on my myself in aiming for a specific result, as I was focusing on my process and routine throughout. Within my team we discussed doing this as we had put in the training hours and worked on specific areas beforehand, and so if we can have a few less things to think on in the race we can minimise mistakes to then let the hard work do the talking.

“This made sure that my head was clear each day and each race so that I could put every bit of focus into each race and not get too focused on results.

“Overall, I am really happy to have qualified the country for the spot, especially since it was the first-chance regatta to have done so.

“I am really happy with my performance both physically and mentally, as it shows that the hard work I have been putting in so far is making gains.”

Robby Meek, of the United States, topped the ILCA 6 fleet to secure the gold medal.

Elena Oetling Ramirez, of Mexico, finished second overall and was the top female sailor ahead of Penruddocke.

Qualifying for the next Pan Am Games sailing regatta ends on July 8, 2023.