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With classrooms on and off the water, Kiwi dinghy sailor Josh Junior has a clear advantage when it comes to mastering the nuances of wind and sail.

Born and raised in New Zealands wind capital, Wellington, Junior has honed his understanding of the critical relationship between breeze and boat through his sailing experience and academic studies.

A sailor since he was five, Junior not only loves being on the water, but has a passion for the dynamics of sport. He began his university studies in physics and maths in 2008, before a career in sailing became a reality.

 I made my way through school while spending most of my time dreaming about sailing. My physics teacher knew this but didnt seem to mind too much, says Junior.

 The harbour provided an equally important place of learning. Junior has learned all about accuracy through preparation knowing which sail to use, how to read the wind, and knowing where to place yourself on the racecourse to get the best speed from your boat.

 You need to have a good understanding of your gear, and a good understanding of the science behind your sport. This enables you to make better decisions out on the course, because you understand the physics behind whats happening, he says.

 When youre out on the water you need to be accurate in how you change the shape of the sail, and how close to the wind you are. You also need to be extremely aware of wind shifts and where to place yourself in relation to these. Choosing where to tack is also crucial.

Junior, who turns 26 this month, began sailing with his dad in a Sunburst at the age of five, before moving through the classes of dinghy sailing.  He won silver in the Laser at the 2007 world youth sailing championships and climbed to No. 2 in the world in the senior Laser ranks, before switching to the heavyweight Finn dinghy in his quest for Olympic honours in 2016.

Junior is well aware that accuracy comes from experience. The more experienced sailors can make better decisions because theyve come across certain scenarios so many times before. Their decision-making becomes instinctive, he says.

He spends hours working on sail development, tweaking and testing masts and sails to get the most out of the boat. You need to decide what sort of sail suits you. You dont know whats the best until you test, he says.

The challenge for Junior is to speed up the process of gaining experience to be competitive at the highest level. Hes achieving that with the guidance of his coach John Cutler, a bronze medallist in the Finn at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.  A brilliant Americas Cup tactician, Cutler is a master of knowing where to position yourself on the course. 

Mining Cutlers knowledge is Juniors job.  And so far its paid off with a silver medal at the 2015 European champs and a fifth placing at the Rio Olympics test event.

As he has been inspired by his coach, Junior hopes to do the same for other young athletes to encourage them not only to compete for their country, but to simply get out on the ocean and sail.

Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games Josh Junior Sailing
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