Sebastian Kempe is now one place outside the gold-medal race at French Olympic Week regatta after a disappointing couple of races on Thursday.

Kempe had won his first race at this level on Wednesday, describing himself as “the most emotional” he’d been on the water since winning the Youth World Championships in 2021 as he put himself in contention for a medal.

But it was an altogether different day 24 hours later as Kempe struggled in the heavy winds, finishing 40th in race seven and seventeenth in race eight to lie eleventh overall.

“It was just crazy gold fleet racing,” today Kempe said.

“I’m just following my process and there are lighter winds tomorrow so all to play for.“

While Kempe was able to drop his 40th-placed finish as it is his worst finish of the regatta to date, he cannot afford another disappointment on Friday if he is to make it into the top ten and the gold-medal race on Saturday.

Kempe is not the only Bermudian in action on the Mediterranean coast this week, with Adriana Penruddocke taking on the world’s best female sailors in the Ilca 6 division.

Penruddocke is 23rd after three days on the water, with her best finish of fourth coming in race two of the eight races she has sailed so far.