Mate v mate: Fight for Finn Olympic spot will go all way to Tokyo
They are great mates with a fierce yachting rivalry, including over Olympic selection.
But there won’t be an outright loser when sailors Andy Maloney and Josh Junior battle for the one Finn class place at the Tokyo Olympics.
Maloney and Junior — part of Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup triumph — have a split focus involving vastly different yachting styles over the coming months.
They head to Bermuda next week with the New Zealand team for the first round of the Sail GP series.
They are also preparing for the Finn Gold Cup in Portugal this year, their final Olympic selection regatta.
“It’s always competitive between Andy and I, it seems everything we do is competitive,” said Junior, who became the first Kiwi to win the world Finn title two years ago.
“Whoever is going the worst is always a bit grumpy and whoever is going better seems happier.
“Luckily, whoever doesn’t go [to the Olympics] will coach the other so our relationship will continue all the way to the Olympic Games and hopefully we win the gold medal.”
Maloney, who missed Olympic Laser selection in 2016, said it was difficult going from the super-fast America’s Cup and Sail GP boats back to the traditional-style Finns.
“It is difficult but we’ve invested so much time into the Finns and we have a huge base of skillsets in these types of boats,” he said.
The New Zealand GP team — which is led by America’s Cup legends Peter Burling and Blair Tuke — have been early recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Maloney said: “We are very fortunate being in a position to represent New Zealand overseas as athletes.
“It gives us a little bit of peace of mind but we still have to be super careful with all the other protocols.
“Sail GP have put all the protocols in place around Covid but we’ve got quarantine spots booked in New Zealand just in case — you’ve got to take it day by day, you never know what could happen.”
Junior added: “We feel very lucky and honoured to represent New Zealand overseas and be able to travel safely.”