Two Far North athletes featuring amongst the 185-strong New Zealand team preparing to take part in the 2012 London Summer Olympics from July 27 to August 12 are regarded as the country's strongest medal prospects.
The 30-year-old Andrew Murdoch will contest the individual laser class from Monday, while 23-year-old Blair Tuke will feature in the 49er class which starts on Tuesday, with his partner Peter Burling. The two Kerikeri sailors form part of the 15-strong New Zealand Olympic sailing team contesting various classes - in teams and as individuals - in Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour in Dorset.
Both lads were born in Kawakawa and grew up learning their chops in the Kerikeri High School sailing academy under the guidance of Derry Godbert, and through an association with various cruising clubs in the Bay of Islands.
Tuke, who celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday, was named the 2011 Far North Sportsperson of the Year in October in Kaitaia. The award was accepted on his behalf by Murdoch, himself a previous and multiple winner of the award in the past. Both have also been awarded the Northland Sailor of the Year title.
London will be Murdoch's second Olympic Games having taken fifth in the Laser class (in Beijing 2008). He now resides in Auckland and was regarded as one of the world's best laser sailors, following a successful junior lasers championship campaign. He has also performed strongly in the laser world champs, placing third in 2005 sixth in 2006, second in 2007 and third in the 2011 event in Perth which helped him qualify for London 2012. The laser sailing takes place from next July 30, up until the medal race on August 6.
London 2012 will be the first Olympics for Tuke with the 49er class running from July 31 to August 5, with medal racing on August 8. Tuke and Burling claimed silver at a championship event in Perth last year to earn inclusion in the New Zealand Olympic sailing team, and also placed second at the world champs earlier this year.
Tuke was given a bon voyage send off by his friends family at the home of Mark and Janice Beauchamp on July 10 and was presented with a Kerikeri Cruising Club shirt by club patron Tony Shield.
Meanwhile, Kristine Lederis from Yachting New Zealand was in London with the team and spoke about the conditions. "It's been beautiful hot and sunny in Weymouth which isn't normal. Weather is meant to pack up and go back to windy drizzle and maybe even stormy for the start of the games," she said, adding, "Our team tends to do well in the breeze."
Despite the official opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics being Saturday morning, (7am live NZT) the event actually got under way earlier this morning when the Football Ferns played Great Britain at the Olympic Stadium (2.50am NZT).