Blair Tuke

EVENT: Sailing: Men's 49er

Blair Tuke and Peter Burling are household names not only in New Zealand but also around the world for what they have achieved in their sailing careers. The pair were team captains for the New Zealand team at the Rio Olympic Games and went on to win gold in the 49er, rounding out a phenomenally successful four-year cycle that saw them dominate the class.

The pair are also two-time Olympic silver medallists having placed second at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020.

Tuke and Burling took a break after Rio to help Emirates Team New Zealand win the 2017 America's Cup and then compete in the Volvo Ocean Race. They jumped back in the 49er towards the end of 2018 and have since added two more world 49er championship titles to the four they had already collected (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016). In 2020 they competed at home to help Team New Zealand retain the America's Cup.

The pair who are coached by Hamish Willcox, set up an environmental charity, Live Ocean, to help position New Zealand as world leaders in ocean health. They are keen divers and surfers and are rarely seen far away from the ocean.