After falling short in her quest to qualify for the Junior Pan American Games last week, Carina Bortoli’s attention has shifted to securing a spot in Bermuda’s team for the Carifta Games.

Bortoli finished 22nd in a field of 27 in a time of 1hr 16min 45sec at the Central America and Caribbean qualifier in Havana, Cuba, with only top 12 women from the event qualifying for the Junior Pan Am Games in Asunción, Paraguay, in August.

“I didn’t have my best race on Sunday,” Bortoli said. “It was tough knowing I could have had a better result than I did, but I know I gave it my all.

“It was still a great experience and learning opportunity among a quality field. I just want to thank the Bermuda Triathlon Association and my coaches for helping me get here, I’ve come a long way from even just over a year ago when I started triathlon.

“You could really feel that this was a different event to what I had done before. It was another level in terms of how serious it was, the field was competitive from top to bottom and everyone was very focused.”

The 17-year-old, who represented Bermuda at the Carifta Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships in Barbados last year, wants to feature on the track in Trinidad & Tobago in April.

In 2024, Bermuda sent a depleted team of 20 athletes to the 51st Carifta Games in Grenada, with injury and illness blamed as some of the island’s up-and-coming sports stars were unable to make the trip.

“From here my next focus is qualifying for Carifta in the 1,500 metres and 3,000m,” she said. “I’m also working hard for my next triathlon event.’’