The Kiwis claimed their second event win of the season in Britain to move to the top of the SailGP championship leaderboard. Photo: SailGP
New Zealand has gate-crashed what should have been a triumphant home celebration, pipping the hosting British crew to victory in a nail-biting final at the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Kiwis claimed their second event win of the season and third race victory of the weekend in a dramatic winner-takes-all showdown that left the packed Portsmouth shoreline deflated.
The GBR team had looked destined for glory after commanding the leaderboard following a dominant opening day, but were edged out at the line when it mattered most.
The Black Foils went into the three-boat final trailing Dylan Fletcher's crew on points.
But in a SailGP Final the winner takes all and Peter Burling rose to the pressure, guiding New Zealand around the two-lap racecourse with flawless precision.
"It's unreal, one of our best moments in SailGP," said New Zealand wing trimmer Blair Tuke.
"It was a huge fight from the team. We're getting better on T-Foils and in these conditions, so to do it against strong opposition and beat the British on their home waters feels pretty good."
Twelve national teams had battled across seven fleet races for the coveted spots in the three-boat final, with GBR, New Zealand and Switzerland emerging from the pack.
The victory propelled New Zealand to the summit of the overall SailGP championship leaderboard with 54 points, nudging ahead of Australia on 52 points and Spain on 51.
Next for the crews sees SailGP debut in Germany for the eighth event of the 2025 season on 16-17 August.
-Reuters/RNZ
