Bermuda’s first real chance of winning a medal at the Junior Pan American Games in Asunción comes in the pool today.

Swimmer Jack Harvey heads into the 200 metres backstroke heats at 10.03am Bermuda time with the third-best time in the field and should be in contention for a place on the podium.

Harvey knows the pressure is on as he drops down a level after competing at the Olympics in Paris last year and the World Championships in Singapore less than two weeks ago, but he is determined to impress.

“I’m going into the meet seeded third in the 100 and 200 back, so coming in with that, it’s hard not to strive for a medal. That’s my goal coming in and it’s really exciting to possibly win a medal at a major games like this. But you have to stay focused on swimming the best race I can and that’s where my focus is.

“The race is going to be competitive; even though I’m ranked third, it’s close above me and beneath me, so it’s going to be tight and I’ll be doing the best I can.”

This under-23 meet represents Harvey’s best chance of bringing a medal home to Bermuda, but he admits that the familiarity of his opponents takes expectations to another level.

“I’ve raced guys from this region quite regularly, so I know I’m expected to be pushing for medals, but that definitely adds another layer of pressure,” he said.

“Being able to take a step back and focus on what I do has been really important. That’s where my mind’s at, but a medal is the main goal of meet.”

Harvey has crossed multiple time zones in the past few weeks with the proximity of the Games to the World Championships far from ideal to bring about optimum performance.

“It’s not so much the racing and competing aspect, but more the travelling,” he said.

“The World Championships was in Singapore and that was an 11-hour time difference. It was a little challenging on the way and I didn’t quite have the championships I was hoping for. But I think that was because I struggled to adapt to the time zone in Singapore. After being in Paraguay for just a couple of nights, I feel much more comfortable on that level. I’m hoping that I’m able to bounce back here.”

Part of being a world-class athlete is dealing with occasional disappointments and dips in performance, but the 22-year-old is experienced in that sphere.

“You have to learn the skill of having a bad performance, trusting the training and go into your next race with a positive mindset. I’m confident I can have a good meet here, so I’m not reading too much into the Singapore results.

“I had probably the meet of my life in May. I swam in Fort Lauderdale and got a PB in all my races. It was a standout meet and I was competing against some of the best in the world. You always want to improve and hit best times, so to have one great meet under my belt this season is great.

“I’m not expecting to do that here and take a few seconds off my times, but I’m hoping to get back to that kind of form.”