Peter Burling, the illustrious young Kiwis skipper, has now signed with Team New Zealand’s rivals. He has since been the winning skipper in the last America’s Cup. The dialogues between Burling and the team management were long and hard. This announcement comes on the heels of their unprecedented third straight Cup victory against Great Britain in Barcelona last year. At 34 years young, Burling’s exit signifies the end of what has been one of the most crucial chapters in New Zealand sailing history.
Burling has enjoyed international fame since 2017. Becoming the youngest skipper to ever win the America’s Cup, he commanded Team New Zealand to a magical victory over Team USA in Bermuda. His remarkable accomplishment crowned him the youngest-ever skipper to win. Well in advance of joining Team NZ, Burling showed the world just how talented a sailor he is. He and compatriot sailor Blair Tuke won gold and silver medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, respectively.
A Journey of Success
Burling’s story with Team New Zealand actually began around the same time as his Olympic success. He won a gold medal in the 49er class at the 2012 Olympics, and then followed it up with a silver medal in 2016. He continued to sparkle on the international stage. He added a second Olympic silver medal—this time in the 49er class—at the Tokyo Olympics. His achievements did more than showcase his genius—they raised the bar for sailors to follow him.
The recent America’s Cup victory against Britain in Barcelona further solidified Burling’s legacy as a leading figure in sailing. Discussions about his exit started with Team New Zealand soon after that victory. Despite good faith efforts by both sides, they were unable to reach an agreement.
“He had an offer from us which involved time, money and all those things, and in the end we just couldn’t make that offer stick or come to an agreement on that offer.” – Grant Dalton
Commitments to SailGP
Burling, for her part, is clearly not looking back. More immediately, he’ll turn his attention to his new role as co-CEO—alongside Blair Tuke of New Zealand’s Black Foils team in SailGP—of SailGP. The SailGP series is already poised to expand beyond its inaugural 13 rounds. Yet this expansion will soon require increasing amounts of Burling’s time and energy. His commitment to this complex new undertaking demonstrates a significant change in focus. This adjustment could be an important factor in his decision to exit Team NZ.
Burling said he was thankful for the time spent with Team New Zealand and cited this in a statement released on Friday. He signaled an openness to stepping back to look at his time and accomplishments with the organization as a whole.
“I’m immensely proud of everything we’ve achieved together and grateful to everyone who has been part of this chapter.” – Peter Burling
A Sad Day for Team New Zealand
The split between Burling and Team New Zealand has been described as a “sad day” by team boss Grant Dalton. The departure marks the end of an era but the dawn of a new era within the world of high-performance competitive sailing. With the team racing quickly into the future competitions ahead of them, Dalton said the need for making quick decisions was critical.
“No more time could go by. The team’s moving pretty fast now.” – Grant Dalton
Leave a Reply