Queen's honours for a fallen winner and a sexy loser

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

America's Cup skippers Russell Coutts and Italian Francesco de Angelis have been given special plaudits in the Queen's Birthday Honours today.

Coutts, vilified in the past fortnight for leaving Team New Zealand to sail in a Swiss Cup campaign, is made a Distinguished Companion of the NZ Order of Merit - an award akin to a knighthood, which would have made him Sir Russell under the old system dropped last month.

De Angelis becomes an honorary officer of the order. His award is notable because few foreigners receive New Zealand honours. Major-General Peter Cosgrove, the Australian who initially led peacekeeping forces in East Timor, is also named in today's list as a Companion of the Order of Merit.

The sailors, who are both in Italy today, reacted differently to news of their awards.

Coutts, who has been replaced as Olympic torch bearer by his former deputy, Dean Barker, was initially worried about how the New Zealand public would react.

"They [officials preparing the honours list] called and told me during all the controversy in New Zealand," he said from a regatta in Rimini yesterday.

"I said, 'Well, as long as it's not going to cause any problems.' I understood the nomination was made before everything happened. But they thought it would be fine, so I said okay.

"I think it's a fantastic honour - and it's great that Francesco was recognised too."

Coutts' defection could not overshadow his outstanding achievements in becoming the first skipper outside the United States to successfully defend the America's Cup and equalling the century-old record for consecutive Cup race victories.

He was made a CBE for his winning efforts in 1995.

In the seaside village of Punta Ala, de Angelis - Coutts' rival in the Cup final - was overwhelmed by his award.

"I think they have awards like this in Italy, but we didn't get any," he said. "So I very much appreciate this. I could never imagine I could get an honour like this from New Zealand."

De Angelis - nicknamed Il Baroni for his gentlemanly manner - became a surprise Kiwi hero through the Cup regatta.

His award citation reads: "His sportsmanship and the high profile of the Prada team considerably enhanced the profile of Italy in New Zealand and Italian-New Zealand relations."

Kiwi women certainly took him to their hearts - he was voted the second-sexiest man by New Zealand housewives in a radio poll.

Told he was second only to Latin pop star Ricky Martin, de Angelis punched the air, then asked "Who is Ricky Martin?"

"The sexiest man label was a psychological tool for Team New Zealand - I'm sure of that," de Angelis laughs. "It was played against me."

While the profile of the America's Cup grew from obscurity to near fanaticism in Italy, de Angelis and his crew did not receive the same degree of welcome when they arrived home.

"In Milan, we had an hour one morning at the town hall. I had one evening at my yacht club in Napoli," he said. "But I guess I have been hiding out ever since."

De Angelis has been assembling the Prada challenge for the 2003 Cup. The team will start training in Punta Ala this week, and will be back in Auckland at Christmas.

Coutts has been in Europe for the past week working on his new challenger syndicate with billionaire boss Ernesto Bertarelli.

Team New Zealand's former executive director, Alan Sefton, is also recognised on the honours list, becoming an officer of the NZ Order of Merit.