Cameron Pimentel, the Bermuda sailor, is confident he can achieve his ambition of qualifying for the Olympic Games in Rio after an intense three-month training stint in South America.

Pimentel split his time between Buenos Aires, and Porto Alegre, Brazil, honing his technique and improving his fitness in preparation for this month’s Sailing World Cup Regatta in Miami.

He will have to finish as the top sailor from the North American region yet to qualify for the Olympics in order to realise his goal of reaching Rio.

“I will be competing for the spot against sailors from Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic along with a few other smaller countries,” Pimentel said.

“I have to be confident in my ability. It’s going to be really difficult but I believe in myself. Hopefully everything comes together at the right time and with a bit of luck I think I can get the spot.

“I know the venue quite well so there shouldn’t be too many surprises.”

During his time in South America, Pimentel raced against some of the best sailors in the world, finishing fifteenth at the South American Championships in Porto Alegre before placing 44th at the Copa Brazil, the final event to be held at the Olympic venue prior to next summer’s competition.

“My time in South America was great,” Pimentel said. “I went down to Buenos Aires and spent a lot of time training with other really good guys.

“I was really working on fitness, technique in the boat, and also on starts, which have been a weak point of mine.

“Finishing 44th at the Copa Brazil wasn’t the greatest result, but it was a great experience and really intense racing.

“I missed two out of the ten races due to equipment failure. I broke my mast in the first race and had another equipment failure in the last race, which really knocked me down the leaderboard.”

The 24-year-old, who competes in the Laser class, heads into the regatta high on confidence after defending his title at the Bermuda Laser Nationals last weekend.

“I managed to win every race which was a nice confidence boost,” said Pimentel, who finished fourteenth at last summer’s Pan Am Games in Toronto.

“I felt a bit rusty during the event having taken a bit of time off for the Christmas period, so it was nice to put in a decent performance.”

Since the Pan Am Games, Pimentel has stepped up his weight-training programme with a view to building more muscle after admitting he was too light for the top level.

“I’m really close to my goal weight but I’m still a few pounds short unfortunately,” he said. “Hopefully my extra fitness will make up for it.”

Should Pimentel fall short in his Olympic bid he will be hoping to have done enough to earn one of the two wild-card spots available.

Also competing at the World Cup in Miami, which runs from January 23 to 29, will be compatriot Cecilia Wollmann, who will also be chasing her Olympic dream.

Like Pimentel, Wollmann, who competes in the Laser Radial, will have to finish as the top North American in her class yet to qualify to book her ticket to Rio.