Variables at play in sailing make Burling and Tuke’s exploits even more amazing
World champions all tend to have one mark in common - consistent excellence.
There is consistent excellence and then there is the excellence of three-time world champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.
The young Kiwi sailors claimed the 49er world championships for the third straight year over the weekend, extendingtheir unbeaten run to 22 regattas.
The indomitable pair, crowned ISAF world sailors of the year on the eve of the world championships in Argentina, had wrapped up the title even before lining up for Sunday's medal race, with an unassailable 29-point lead heading into the final day.
Few athletes around the world could rival the level of dominance in their respective fields of Burling and Tuke's stranglehold over the 49er class. But what makes their three-year unbeaten run all the more remarkable is the number of variables at play in their sport.
Weather conditions, sea state and the various tactics that come into play can all shake up results from one regatta to the next.
None of those has altered the outcome in the 49er fleet.
Burling and Tuke excel in light air. They excel in heavy breeze. They win regattas leading from start to finish. And they win regattas when it is all on the line in the final race.
Yet the pair have received little in the way of recognition outside of the yachting community for their unprecedented dominance, making a strong case that they are New Zealand's most under-rated sportsmen.
While Olympic class sailing doesn't seem to capture the nation's hearts (and understandably so, given it is not exactly a spectator-friendly sport), where the pair may soon gain widespread recognition is in their exploits with Team New Zealand.
The duo's first foray into the America's Cup sailing in the opening regatta of the Louis Vuitton world series circuit in Portsmouth this year perhaps best illustrated why the pair are so successful - it seems there's nothing that fazes them.
It was Burling and Tuke's first competitive outing with Team New Zealand, and their first time up against some of the big names of the America's Cup world, including Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill and British sailing great Ben Ainslie.
Then there was the added pressure of knowing all eyes would be on Burling to see how he would fare against the man he displaced at the helm of Team NZ, Dean Barker.
Things weren't looking good for the new-look crew early on. A dodgy gybe on the first downwind leg saw the boat crash off its foils, putting Team NZ at the back of the fleet.
Yet there is no panic on board. Burling is almost impassive, muttering "oh yah bastard", before calmly setting about carving his way back through the fleet to finish third.
They followed up with a win in the next race, and have since gone on to claim a top three finish in all but one race of the series to take the overall lead into 2016.
