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London Olympic Scholarship Holders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke won the 49er medal race and the Bronze medal at the Weymouth and Portland 2011 International Regatta. The medal came for the NZL Sailing Team on the final day of the Olympic test event and rounds out a solid showing from the team which includes four top four finishers in the nine events New Zealand contested. In all but two of those nine events New Zealand made the top ten gaining valuable medal race experience. Peter and Blair have sailed well right through the regatta and it was really nice to see them take the medal race win and then stand on the podium, says Team Director, and 49er Coach, Jez Fanstone. It is a great result for them, but in typical fashion they want to do even better. Overall Im pretty happy with how the team has performed here in Weymouth - it's been about gaining knowledge and experience, Fanstone continues. While its disappointing in some ways not to convert the fourth place finishes into podium finishes it demonstrates that we are really close, and it will really put the fire in the bellies of those guys. Review of our performance here in Weymouth will come over the next few weeks and well be looking to learn the lessons on where we can improve further. Burling and Tuke secured the podium finish in style, crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of their nearest rival in the final pressure test medal race sailed in 10-11 knot winds. The kiwis are the youngest combined pair among the fleet including representatives from the top 24 nations in the world in the mens Olympic double-handed skiff, with New Zealands helm, Burling, the second youngest sailor in the fleet. The Bronze medal is a terrific achievement for the young pair who got together. The pair were awarded London Olympic Scholarships in April this year by the New Zealand Olympic Committee. The financial scholarships provide much needed assistance to the young athletes as they prepare for the London Olympic Games in 2012. In a few short months the world of Olympic class sailing will descend upon Perth, Western Australia for the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships on from 3 18 December 2011. In Perth all ten Olympic class sailing events will contest their 2011 World Championship titles at a combined event which happens only once every four years in the pre-Olympic year. Unlike this weeks regatta in Weymouth, the December event isnt restricted to one entry per nation so a full NZL Sailing Team contingent and other New Zealand representatives will compete. The Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships is also the first opportunity for New Zealand to earn national qualification and secure a spot for the country in each of the Olympic events for the Olympic Games 2012. Weymouth and Portland 2011 International Regatta New Zealands final results Bronze - Peter Burling and Blair Tuke: 49er (11, 16, 3, 3, 1, 3, 9, 5, 3, 3, 2, 4, 1, 6, 21 medal race: 1) 4th - Andrew Murdoch: Laser (4, 5, 2, 3, 11, 4, 8, 12, 9, 2, medal race: 7) 4th - Jon-Paul Tobin: RS:X Men (6, 6, 9, 16, 5, 11, 2, 4, 21, 1, medal race:1) 4th - Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie: 470 Women (21, 11, 2, 26 BFD, 3, 3, 17, 4, 1, 7, medal race: 1) 6th - Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk: Star (5, 2, 15, 7, 10, 22DNS, 5, 7, 6, 3, medal race: 5 ) 7th - Dan Slater: Finn (13, 18, 5, 2, 28OCS, 4, 7, 9, 6, 12, medal race: 2) 10th - Natalia Kosinska: RS:X Women (12, 10, 4, 7, 7, 11, 12, 14, 19, 8, medal race: 9) 15th - Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders: 470 Men (17, 16, 4, 13, 15, 33OCS, 4, 16, 11,33DSQ) 22nd - Sara Winther: Radial (11, 26, 26, 21, 15, 25, 18, 8, 10, 50DNF)
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