Cameron Pimentel discovered that the gods of the sailing world are just mere mortals after punching above his weight on the opening day of the Laser class at the Olympic Games.

Pimentel only gained entry to the Olympics because of a wild card but did not look out of place on the waters of Guanabara Bay at Marina da Glória yesterday.

One of the least experienced sailors in the 46-man fleet, Pimentel caused a few upsets in the opening race and beat several of his more accomplished competitors to finish 31st.

He was dealt a reality check in the second and final race of the day, however, placing 45th to leave him in 39th position on 76 points.

“Overall it was a good first day and I’m pretty happy with it,” Pimentel said. “I was pretty amped up and beat a lot of people who should technically be beating me.

“Once you’re up and around these guys you realise that they’re not unbeatable and I think I’m capable of having a good race or two.”

Pimentel said he got on the wrong end of a big wind shift during the second race and never really recovered, losing several places during a poor finish.

“It was nice to have a really good first race and it’s a bit unfortunate coming in with that second race and it kind of sours it,” he said.

“I’ve just got to reset the mind and just focus on the good things that happened during the first race.

“I know I can do better and that’s the unfortunate part. It’s my first Olympics and it was a day full of adrenalin and excitement.”

Competing in “the greatest show on earth” was everything and more than Pimentel expected, with the 25-year-old feeling more inspired than daunted under the global sporting spotlight.

“It definitely felt different,” he said. “When you’re heading out there and you see the helicopters, these huge boats with all the cameras on them, you know it’s a different event to what you’re used to.

“It gives you a lot more motivation and a little more adrenalin during the first few minutes of the race.”

Pimentel said Guanabara Bay’s chameleon-like quality for change remained hard to read despite spending a month in Rio getting to grips with the tricky conditions.

“Everyone has been going on about Rio being light wind and then today we get 12 to 15 knots,” he said.

“In some parts it was light with the wind going up and down but it wasn’t the super-light wind everyone was expecting and what we’ve been training in.

“We’ve also had lots of days when it was very windy and you can’t really expect certain conditions because even the forecast can be wrong.”

Guanabara Bay has been at the centre of controversy during the build-up to the Games, with talk of pollution, bacteria, as well as debris floating on the water.

Pimentel admits he is sick of being asked to talk about the issue and has experienced no ill health while sailing at the picturesque venue.

“I didn’t see any debris today,” Pimentel said. “When I was heading out I saw one or two plastic bags but nothing on the racecourse.

“Most of the people whining about the water aren’t even here; they’re journalists in New York or wherever else.”

As for the Zika virus, Pimentel said he has spotted one mosquito in the athletes village and insists it is the least of his concerns ahead of today’s race.

“I haven’t been bitten yet and I’m really not too worried about it,” he said.

“Anyway, we’ve got bug spray so we’re good to go!”

Robert Scheidt, the home favourite, won the second race after finishing a disappointing 23rd in the opener of the ten-race series. Scheidt, who lies in seventh place on 24 points, is trying to become the first Brazilian to win six Olympic medals.

Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic leads the class on six points after winning the first race before coming fifth in the second.