Bermuda triathlete Carina Bortoli has a great opportunity to qualify for the Junior Pan American Games when she competes in the Central America and Caribbean qualifiers in Havana, Cuba on Sunday.

In a pool of 30 women, Bortoli has an opportunity of being one of the 12 to secure spots for the games in Asunción, Paraguay in August.

“I’m excited to compete on Sunday,” the 17-year-old told The Royal Gazette.

“This is my first time competing at this level for triathlon, but this is a really cool opportunity. I have been preparing with my coaches and it will be interesting to see where I finish.

“My times have been steadily improving over the last year and I think I’m in a good place to be competitive. If I have a good day, then there is a good opportunity to qualify for the Junior Pan Am Games.”

Steven Petty, the Bermuda Triathlon Association president, indicated that based on the hard work she has put into her training, Bortoli has a great prospects of qualifying.

“She does have a reasonable chance,” he said. “She has improved tremendously over the last two years and we’re optimistic.

“We wouldn’t put a lot of pressure on her, but she gets on with her training and she’s very diligent.

“We’re very lucky because there’s a Continental Cup in Cuba and the coach that came to Bermuda, Parker Spencer from the United States, is allowed to coach her in the regional qualifier.

“Jake Smith qualified to go to this event but he is concentrating on his studies, so he decided to forego the opportunity.

“We had standards that they had to meet to qualify during the course of last season. We also had some of our triathletes meet those standards, but you have to be a British Overseas Territories citizen and they are not eligible until they’re 18.”