Sailing: Burling wins third world title

WORLD'S BEST: Peter Burling, right, and Blair Tuke won their third consecutive title at the 2015 49er World Championship in Argentina last night. Photo: Supplied

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year winners, made history when they won their third consecutive world title at the 2015 49er World Championship in Argentina last night.

The victory also extended their unprecedented unbeaten run to 22 since losing the gold medal race to Australians Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen at the London Olympics in 2012.

Burling, 24, from Tauranga and Tuke, 26, placed fourth in the afternoon medal race to end the 16-race regatta 34 points ahead of Outteridge and Jensen in second place.

"We're absolutely stoked to take another title," Burling said. "This one has been a really tough week. I think both Blair and myself are pretty tired now which shows how tough it's been, but we are really stoked to take another title."

Burling and Tuke will defend their world title in less than three months with the 2016 49er and 49erFX World Championships taking place in mid-February in Florida, USA before the Olympic preparations begin.

Before then they return home for the New Zealand summer and will attend the 2015 Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards in Auckland this Friday.

"We've got a few months at home over the summer now so it's going to be great," Burling said. "It's a cool time of year to be back in NZ so we're really looking forward to getting home."

Meanwhile at the women's 49erFX worlds, Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech (Tauranga) finished 8th overall. They placed 2nd, 14th and 19th to go into the 49erFX medal race lying ninth overall, improving to eighth after finishing third in the final race.

"Moving on from here obviously Rio's the big goal for next year," Meech said. "And the build-up events like the worlds in Clearwater and then Hyeres, so will be trying to get on the podium in those events."