The Olympic Games cannot come fast enough for sailor Adriana Penruddocke, who is preparing to make her debut in the women’s ILCA 6 class at the prestigious event.

Penruddocke, who qualified at the Pan American Games in Chile in November, is now counting down the days to her competition and feels privileged to get the chance to take part in Paris.

“I am massively excited at qualifying and competing at an Olympic Games at it is a pinnacle for any sport,” Penruddocke told The Royal Gazette.

It collects the highest of each country and is a different setting as it’s a unique event as a whole. I feel honoured and proud to have qualified Bermuda and I’m looking forward to showing my best and learning more.”

Penruddocke has spent the past several months sharpening her skills under the guidance of her coach Shaun Priestley and is pleased with the progress she has made in the single-handed ILCA 6 dinghy.

“Training is going well,” she said.

“We have multiple blocks all happening in Marseilles to get as familiar with every condition we can as well as a couple of coach regattas alongside in-venue training. We also have an event in Kiel to keep the racing bits fresh and to go over again what needs more work before the main event.

“I don’t have any expectations as it’s my first Olympic Games and my main goal is 2028.”

“The goal is to focus on my process goals and see what we can learn without setting any limitation on a specific result to ensure the best out of myself.”

Penruddocke has arrived early in Marseilles to get acclimatised to local conditions at the Olympic sailing venue in the build up to the Games.

“At the moment we are based in Marseilles to learn as much as we can until the event,” she said.

“We have key areas to work on and It’s very exciting as this year is all about going in as the underdog and putting my best foot out there and setting no limits on a result.”

While she will be breaking new ground competing against the world’s elite at this level, Penruddocke is approaching the Olympics as she would any other regatta.

“I think it’s like any other event to be honest and we take time in venue to get to know the conditions for any regatta,” she said.

“Yes, this is the Olympics and it has a massive impact on the media side, but I like to think of it as similar to a world championships or a World Cup event as the level of athlete will be the top of the top. It’s going to be a different type of event for sure, but all of the processes that I work on with my coach are similar.

“The venue being a satellite village down here in Marseilles rather than at the main village in Paris makes it different as well. We are closer to the sailing and don’t need to think about commuting too far, which is good.”

Penruddocke is the only sailor representing Bermuda at the upcoming Games, with the 2024 Olympic Regatta taking place at Marseilles Marina from July 28 to August 8.