Blair Tuke - Our First Olympic Medal Winner!

We all joined with the rest of New Zealand to congratulate sailing partners,  Blair Tuke and Peter Burling when they were awarded New Zealand’s 100th games medal at this year’s Olympics in London but we had particular reason to be proud. Blair is a former student of Saint Kentigern College and when he secured a silver medal in the 49er class, he became our first successful Olympian.

Blair left College as a 17 year old in 2006 to train for the Splash dinghy world championships which he won in Italy that year. He added the 29er world championship to his resume in 2009, and with Burling, was back-to-back runner-up at the 49er world championships in 2011-12. With these wins behind them, they went to the Olympics with a degree of confidence that they would be in medal contention.

Their silver medal was the first non-boardsailing medal for the Kiwi sailing team in 20 years. It was fitting that they received their medal from one of New Zealand’s greatest Olympians, three time medallist, Barbara Kendall, now a member of the International Olympic Committee.