Olympic champion Blair Tuke joins MAPFRE in the Volvo Ocean Race<\/p>\n
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Ugo Fonolla\/Volvo Ocean Race<\/p>\n
New Zealand\u2019s Blair Tuke is joining MAPFRE in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18, and could become the first sailor in history to win the \u2018Triple Crown\u2019 of an Olympic gold medal, the America\u2019s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race (full story below)<\/p>\n
27-year-old Tuke joins Xabi Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s Spanish team<\/p>\n
Tuke has won Olympic gold and America\u2019s Cup in just 10 months<\/p>\n
Volvo Ocean Race win would complete collection of sailing\u2019s Big Three trophies<\/p>\n
14 July \u2013 New Zealand\u2019s Blair Tuke is joining MAPFRE in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18, and could become the first sailor in history to win the \u2018Triple Crown\u2019 of an Olympic gold medal, the America\u2019s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.<\/p>\n
At the age of just 27, the Kiwi is already one of the most decorated sailors in the world \u2013 and joins the Spanish campaign fresh from New Zealand\u2019s victory in the America\u2019s Cup last month and an Olympic gold medal in 2016.<\/p>\n
Tuke, who has also won four consecutive 49er World Championships and was named ISAF Sailor of the Year in 2015, links up with MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fern\u00e1ndez to take on the ultimate test of a team in professional sport \u2013 a 45,000 nautical mile race around the planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea of doing the Volvo Ocean Race is something I\u2019ve been very excited about ever since I was a little kid. Everyone closest to me has known I\u2019ve wanted to do this race for so long, even before I did the America\u2019s Cup and the Olympics. I\u2019m so happy to finally have the opportunity \u2013 and to do it with MAPFRE is something I\u2019m really looking forward to,\u201d said Tuke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve raced with Xabi a lot in the 49ers and when the race came to Auckland in the 2014-15 edition, I went onboard MAPFRE for the In-Port Race and the start, so I\u2019ve seen them in action close up. The team has a lot of really good guys on the boat and I think it\u2019s a great opportunity for me. I\u2019m really happy to be teaming up with MAPFRE.\u201d<\/p>\n
The race will be Tuke\u2019s first competitive foray offshore, and with the One Design Volvo Ocean 65 boats set to race three times more Southern Ocean miles than in recent editions, it promises to be a steep learning curve.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m under no illusions as to the learning curve I\u2019ve got in front of me \u2013 I know what it\u2019s like to be out there and offshore, but to do it at this high level of a race is going to be new to me,\u201d continued Tuke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thought of racing into Auckland, and then leaving again for the Southern Ocean, is pretty exciting, but before I get there I have to do a lot of learning, and gain more experience in how to make these boats go fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited for the challenge \u2013 I\u2019ve loved being challenged in the past, and having to learn fast, and I\u2019m really looking forward to this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Securing his spot in the Volvo Ocean Race caps an unforgettable 12 months for Tuke, who scooped an Olympic gold in the 49er class at Rio 2016 alongside his long-term sailing partner Peter Burling.<\/p>\n
The pair took first place with two races to spare, boasting a 43-point margin over their nearest challengers \u2013 the biggest gap in any sailing class since modern scoring began \u2013 to add to a silver medal achieved at London 2012.<\/p>\n
Burling and Tuke then played an integral part in Emirates Team New Zealand successful America\u2019s Cup campaign, winning them a second major trophy in less than a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to see how the whole country gets behind the Volvo Ocean Race. It\u2019s got the Kiwis\u2019 hearts just because of the incredible history in the race. It\u2019s a great time to be heading to there \u2013 the reception that we\u2019ve just received with Emirates Team New Zealand shows just what top-level sailing means to people across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing all the boats out there in the harbour as we took the Cup out and did a little tour was really cool, and it\u2019s the kind of thing you only usually see when the Volvo Ocean Race comes into town, or when the Cup was in New Zealand last time. Sailing is very much on the map and it\u2019s going to be an incredible Volvo Ocean Race stopover in 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 1973, winning the Volvo Ocean Race has been an obsession for the world\u2019s best sailors, desperate to prove that they have what it takes to claim glory in the pinnacle of offshore sailing.<\/p>\n
via Olympic champion Blair Tuke joins MAPFRE in the Volvo Ocean Race| Volvo Ocean Race<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Olympic champion Blair Tuke joins MAPFRE in the Volvo Ocean Race Download MAPFRE Download \u00a9 Mar\u00eda Mui\u00f1a \/ MAPFRE Download Ugo Fonolla\/Volvo Ocean Race New Zealand\u2019s Blair Tuke is joining MAPFRE in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18, and could … Continue reading