Adriana Penruddocke’s bid to represent Bermuda at the next Olympic Games has gained early momentum on her debut at the Hempel World Cup Series in Mallorca, Spain.

The 21-year-year achieved a significant milestone in her campaign after qualifying for the Gold Fleet in the women’s Laser Radial class at the ongoing 51 Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, Mallorca, competing against some of the world’s elite sailors.

“I am at my first ever World Cup event in Palma and have qualified for Gold Fleet against the best in the world,” an elated Penruddocke told The Royal Gazette.

“I am absolutely buzzing with excitement as this event is aimed to be a feeler of taking each race one at a time to learn and gain experience from the best in the world for the current Olympic cycle I am in for.”

Penruddocke is one of 45 sailors among the overall 89-strong Women’s Laser Radial fleet to have qualified for the Gold Fleet, having posted an impressive 23-23-15-14 record in the four-race qualifying series that concluded on Tuesday.

The promising sailor endured a much tougher time on the water during the opening two races in the Gold Fleet yesterday, which saw her record her worst finishes so far of 41st and 37th.

However, Penruddocke, who presently sits at the bottom of the Gold Fleet standings, said there were still positives to take away from the experience.

“Today was a tough day for me but lots of good learning came from it,” she said.

“Race 1 started and I had a great start off the line and was looking good and in phase with the shifts. A few errors on decision making and risk management on the downwind and the second upwind cost me a few places, but I have taken this in and know for future races.”

Penruddocke was forced to play catch up from the outset of the second race having not enjoyed the best of starts.

“Race 2 started okay; not the worst but also not my best start,” she added. “I quickly shifted mindset into less of the fleet and more of where is the next bit of pressure which I can make a gain.

“Had a bit of a tricky windward mark rounding so after that good decision making we had to play catch up again. Not the best but it’s a really good learning experience especially since this fleet is the best in the world.

“Overall, I had a few rough points from today but speed against the top is looking good and I’m looking forward to learning some more in the coming days.”

Canada’s Sarah Douglas is the overall leader in the Women’s Laser Radial fleet.

The 51 Princess Sofia Regatta is one of the largest Olympic regattas in the world with more than 1,000 sailors from 62 countries competing in Palma, Mallorca.