FILE – In this Aug. 18, 2016, file photo, New Zealand’s Peter Burling, left, and Blair Tuke, center, celebrate their 49er FX men gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As they hit what could be the prime of their careers, Burling, 30, and Tuke, 31, are thinking about more than just their next victory. Sure, they’re focusing in on trying to win another gold medal in the high-performance 49er skiff in the Tokyo Olympics starting later this month. They also realize that as the victories pile up, they’re in a unique position to speak out about protecting the planet’s oceans.
FILE – In this June 26, 2017, file photo, Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling, left, and teammate Blair Tuke cross the boat during the ninth race in America’s Cup sailing competition against Oracle Team USA in Hamilton, Bermuda. As they hit what could be the prime of their careers, Burling, 30, and Tuke, 31, are thinking about more than just their next victory. Sure, they’re focusing in on trying to win another gold medal in the high-performance 49er skiff in the Tokyo Olympics starting later this month. They also realize that as the victories pile up, they’re in a unique position to speak out about protecting the planet’s oceans.
FILE – In this Aug. 15, 2016, file photo, New Zealand’s Peter Burling, left, and Blair Tuke compete during their 49er Men race at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As they hit what could be the prime of their careers, Burling, 30, and Tuke, 31, are thinking about more than just their next victory. Sure, they’re focusing in on trying to win another gold medal in the high-performance 49er skiff in the Tokyo Olympics starting later this month. They also realize that as the victories pile up, they’re in a unique position to speak out about protecting the planet’s oceans.
The world’s oceans have given New Zealanders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke the chance to accomplish so much at relatively young ages.
Together the New Zealand sailors have won Olympic gold and silver medals; helped their country win and then defend sailing’s greatest prize, the America’s Cup; and recently started a team in SailGP, a global league that features a who’s who of sailing. Separately, they competed in the grueling Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18.
Dominating regattas in the world’s fastest sailboats is their thing. Along the way Burling, 30, and Tuke, 31, founded the conservation charity Live Ocean, believing that their small island nation needs to step up to the challenge to protect and restore the world’s oceans.
Their immediate focus is on the Tokyo Olympics and continuing to dominate above the waterline in the high-performance 49er skiff. But they also know that as the victories pile up in the prime of their careers, they’re in a unique position to speak out about what’s going on below the waterline, whether it’s in Hauraki Gulf — where they successfully defended the America’s Cup in March — in the South Pacific or elsewhere on the planet.
“We’ve had some pretty good results, but it really feels like there’s a lot more out there,” Burling said from Australia, where they’re putting in final preparations for Tokyo. “Definitely the work we’re doing in the marine conservation space is a big driver to really use the platform in sport to drive a really positive change for New Zealand and the world.”
