Our sailing stars win gold medal for NZ
Sailing’s golden boys have come away with their first ever Olympic gold in convincing fashion.
Kerikeri’s Blair Tuke with helmsman Peter Burling who also has Bay of Islands connections had secured the gold medal on August 17 which made racing two days later merely a formality.
Yet still they finished the regatta with a convincing win in the medal race.
They were able to secure their overall first placing in the men’s 49er class with consistent racing that gave them a 34-point buffer going into the final day of racing.
The duo also shared the special honour of carrying the New Zealand flag at the Rio Olympics opening ceremony.
Tuke took to Facebook after the ceremony to say, ‘‘The feeling of pride that Pete and I had leading our country into the Olympic Games is something that I will remember forever.’’
Tuke’s connection to Kerikeri is well known but what is perhaps less well known is that Burling’s grandparents reside in the area.
Judith and Bruce Burling say getting up in the middle of the night was well worth it to see their grandson claim the gold that he had set his sights on after finishing second at the London Olympics.
‘‘It is great we are absolutely over the moon,’’ says Bruce.
‘‘We are really proud, it is sort of hard to express how much.
‘‘My wife sometimes found it hard to watch because of nerves, but she had no problem when she knew the boys had it in the bag.’’
Bruce says they were hoping to see Peter when he arrived back in New Zealand, but says he will be busy and has a tight turnaround before preparing for the America’s Cup.
Judith and Bruce were also able to spot Peter’s parents in the crowd during the medal ceremony coverage.
‘‘We are so thrilled he’s got the gold, he’s worked really hard, that was the goal after the silver in London.’’
The four-time world champions and great mates will now focus their attention on helping Team New Zealand on their quest for the America’s Cup which culminates with next year’s finals in Bermuda.
Burling, aged 25-years-old, has already attended three Olympics.
He says they will look into another Olympic campaign after the America’s Cup commitments have been completed.
He first represented New Zealand as an 11-year-old.