If Bermuda is going to win a gold medal at the Junior Pan American Games, it is likely to come home around the neck of Sebastian Kempe.

The 20-year-old sailor, who became the youth world champion in the Laser Radial class at the age of 16, is already competing alongside Olympic and world champions on the main ILCA 7 circuit.

While many may think that dropping down to this under-23 level is beneath him, a place on the podium and taking the first step on an easier route to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 are the factors behind his decision to head to Paraguay.

“In terms of Olympic qualification, winning this event would give me a personal ticket to the Pan American Games [Peru 2027] and doing well in that would qualify me for the Olympics, which obviously cuts out a lot of other events that I wouldn’t have to do,” he said.

“The biggest goal is to qualify at the first possible chance in Brazil, as that would also cut out a lot of events and mean I can just focus on the progression and process for the ultimate goal of the Olympics.

“But I would also love to get a medal and, I’ll be honest, the chance of a medal is the reason why we’re going.”

To win a medal at a major games, you have to cope with being able to perform under the pressure of knowing you have the ability to stand on the podium. Although tender in age, Kempe has experienced the highs and lows of top-level sport.

“In terms of sailing, this may not be a big event, but in terms of putting your country’s flag up, it’s bigger than any other event I’ve done,” he said.

“I’ve made the mistake before of going in hoping for a medal and not getting the colour that you’d like. That can hurt you as an athlete, so I try to go in and treat it just like any other event. The process has to come first.”

The Junior Pan Am regatta takes place in Encarnación, about a five-hour drive southeast of Asunción, where the majority of sport in these games takes place. Kempe has sailed in the coastal city before so he knows the likely conditions he will encounter in the six race, three-day series, which starts tomorrow.

“Generally, I expect the breeze to be very light,” he said. “The nature of the event also makes it very difficult, as it’s a smaller fleet, so you have to be consistent. There is also one discard and only six races, if they even get that number in.

“Usually our regattas are five or six days, so it’s going to be a mental game over shorter. That’s something I’m not used to, but I’m going to have to get on with it.”

Comparison between sailors and boxers are not often made, but much as a fighter has to shed weight before a big bout, Kempe varies his weight depending on the conditions. For this event, he has been working hard to lose some pounds.

“Your weight is a huge thing in sailing,” Kempe said.

“I stepped out of the youth classes when I was 17, and I was tall and skinny, so pretty much ever since then I’ve been trying to put on weight and I probably only achieved a proper weight at the end of the last cycle.

“In sailing, a lot of people manipulate their weight, and I know that boxers try to get as small a fat percentage as possible, as they need to have as much efficiency as possible for the weight that they are carrying. Sailing is similar.

“For this event I started at about 85kg and I’ve been trying to get that down to about 78. A lot of people don’t understand that sailors are very fit and do a lot of cardio. When I’m out of the water, I’m either on a bike, on the rowing machine or in the gym.

“Generally, you also have to eat a lot to maintain the weight because of the volume of work that you do. It’s similar to swimming and any other endurance athlete.”

Most people with an Olympics target at Kempe’s age are combining chasing their dream while under scholarship at university, but he has made the difficult choice of forgoing his studies to reach the pinnacle of his sport as early as possible.

“I gave university a bit of a crack, but coming from Bermuda I felt a responsibility to give it everything I could,” he said.

“I felt I had a chance to do something great for the country and continue with the momentum I had from youth. I had great results young and, moving into the fleet, I am on a great trajectory that is exciting for me and I want to see it through.

“I didn’t want to go to university and then all of a sudden come back and not have it any more — life catches up and you waste the opportunity. I’m going all-in, and this is the next step in seeing how far I can go.”