A pair of US twins, Chris and Duncan Williford, could be the pre-regatta Optimist Dinghy favourites going into next week's Renaissance Reinsurance Junior Gold Cup.

The Williford twins boast impressive records in the Optimist class. Chris, with a handful of podium performances, has won the North American Championship two years in a row – 2009 and 2010.

He was first in the 2009 Orange Bowl and first in the 2010 Yacht Club Argentina Race Week.

Duncan, meanwhile, has also made his presence felt in the same class. He finished second in the 2010 North American Championship, third in the 2009 Orange Bowl, second in the 2010 Yacht Club Argentina race week and runner-up in the 2010 ScotiaBank Regatta in St. Thomas.

They were second and fourth in the USA World Team trials and Chris placed second in the 2008 Junior Gold Cup.

Another yougster to watch will be New Zealand's Olivia McKay who could press the Willifords and is expected to be top girl. She was leading female in the New Zealand Opti Championship and third overall. She was also third in the 2008 Junior Gold Cup, right behind Chris Williford.

Others who could be in the mix are Meredith Megarry, two-time Canadian National Champion and Justina Pacheco from the Dominican Republic who was fourth female at the North American Championships and 19th overall. She was also 11th at the ScotiaBank Regatta and third female there.

Another repeat competitor is 12-year-old Odile van Aanholt from the Netherland Antilles who was top girl and sixth overall at Kiel Golden Optimist regatta in Germany.

Recent Danish National Champion Frederik Rask, who has been on fire recently, will also be in the medal hunt. Frederik was first in the Lake Garda Meeting, defeating 646 EU competitors, first in the Polish Open Championships, second in the Belgium International Opti Spring Regatta and sixth in the Dutch Youth Regatta.

The Junior Gold Cup attracts a spectacular group of young international sailors to compete against Bermuda's top Opti sailors.

Bermuda National Champion Sam Stan should expect a top-five finish. He was 14th at the North American Championships, 19th at the German National Championship and 33rd at the South American Championships.

The Wollmann girls, Ceci and Ellie, have competed overseas this summer and produced top finishes at the Canadian National Championships of eighth and 12th respectively.

Almost all overseas Opti sailors have now confirmed their invitations. Of the 14 confirmed sailors, 13 are on their respective Worlds Team for the 2010 IODA (International Optimist Dinghy Association) World Championships, in Malaysia, in December. Six are their nation's champions with a ranking of number one and seven of them participated in last year's IODA Worlds. Four of them finished in the top third.

The skippers' ages range from 11-15 with three of the international sailors being girls. Twelve different nations from North America, Europe, Oceania and the Caribbean will be represented.