Peter Burling and Blair Tuke continue their unprecedented run of 25 consecutive regatta wins after winning their 4th straight 49er European Championship in Barcelona, Spain. They have not “lost” since they took the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Burling and Tuke had the fleet on the back foot from the start, winning six of the first nine races. Going into the double points medal race, they were 44 points ahead of Australians Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen of Artemis Racing, and had an unassailable lead. The margins by which Burling and Tuke have been winning regattas have their competition scratching their heads and wondering what it will take to beat them in Rio this Summer.
The duo have a few days off before traveling to France to make preparations for their next 49er event, the ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres, France from 22-26 April. They then jump on a plane direct to New York to rejoin Emirates Team New Zealand for the next event of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series where they currently lead the overall standings.
Outteridge and Jensen sailed strongly and locked up second place before the medal race but still finished 60 points behind Burling and Tuke. Spaniards Diego Botin and Iago Lopez Marra took third.