Sebastian Kempe, Campbell Patton and Benn Smith are hoping to secure Olympic qualification at the ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship, which gets under way in Adelaide, Australia, tomorrow.

The Bermudian sailors are looking forward to the challenge and are optimistic of being able to achieve a spot for the island at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, France, through their performances at the regatta.

“I’m ready to go,” Kempe told The Royal Gazette.

“This is a great opportunity for me to qualify Bermuda for the Olympics. All I have to do is execute.”

The 18-year-old is high on confidence after winning the silver medal in the under-21 division on his debut at the Oceania and Australian ILCA Open and Youth Championships, which was also held in Adelaide earlier this month.

Also flying Bermuda’s flag at that crucial event was Patton, who finished eighth in the silver fleet and 59th overall.

Like Kempe, the 22-year-old used the regatta as a warm-up for these world championships and is hoping to put the valuable experience to good use.

“I learnt a lot at the nationals and training has gone well” Patton said.

Smith has been based in Australia for the past two weeks as he prepares to take his shot at qualifying the country for this year’s Olympics in Paris.

“Looks like we will get in some good racing,” Smith said.

Kempe, Patton and Smith are attempting to claim one of the seven Olympic spots on offer in Adelaide and will be competing against some of the world’s elite sailors at the regatta, which consists of a ten-race qualifying series to be followed by one medal race and a series race for sailors who fail to qualify for the medal event.

The World Championship offers one of the final chances for Bermuda’s ILCA 7 male sailors to book a place in Paris with the Semaine Olympique Française regatta in Hyères, France, the only other opportunity for Olympic qualification.

Adriana Penruddocke is the only Bermudian sailor to have so far qualified for this summer’s Olympics in the ILCA 6 women’s class.

She secured a spot for the island competing in the Pan American Games in Algarrobo, Chile, last November, and will represent the island at the main event as the only local female involved in an Olympic campaign.