29 Apr 2016

NZ sailors maintain lead at World Cup

9:21 pm on 29 April 2016

New Zealand's world champion 49er sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have maintained their lead at the latest World Cup in France.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke on their way to their 25th straight 49er regattta win, in Bacelona.

Peter Burling (L) and Blair Tuke. Photo: Supplied

At the close of day two the New Zealand team are in the top two in three events, with a total of nine New Zealand crews placed within the top ten.

Burling and Tuke stay on top thanks to a win, a sixth and a third in the day's three races.

They lead by by three points from Australia's Phillips brothers.

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie are second in the women's 470 after a 17th and 6th placing today, level on points with first placed long-time rivals Hannah Mills and Saskia Clarke of Britain.

Josh Junior has been overtaken for the lead in the Finn class by Australia's Jake Lilley who won both races sailed today to take the top spot.

At the end of day two Junior, who is locked in a tough fought Olympic selection battle with team-mate Andrew Murdoch, is in second, six points adrift of Lilley.

Murdoch is lying 10th after a 19th and a ninth in today's Finn races.

Racing against 38 other double-handed crews Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox have retained fourth in the men's 470 fleet adding a couple of top ten race results today with a 10th and then a third.

Snow Hansen and Willcox were named in March as the men's 470 crew to sail to Rio 2016 for New Zealand, and earlier this year they returned a career topping world championship silver medal in February.

In the men's Laser class, like the Finn, it's yet to be decided who will represent New Zealand at Rio 2016 with very little to split top contenders Sam Meech and Andy Maloney.

Currently Meech is lying ninth and Maloney is 11th with just three points separating the two New Zealanders on the leaderboard.

Erica Dawson (21 years) and Ellie Copeland (20 years), the young New Zealand 49erFX pair opened their regatta with a race win.

The women's skiff fleet got underway today, with racing blown out in yesterday's windy conditions, and they completed four races on day two to catch up.

Dawson and Copeland are lying seventh in the 24 boat fleet featuring most of those known to be representing their country at Rio 2016.

The New Zealand sailing team's Alex Maloney and Molly Meech are in 10th in the 49erFX after placing ninth, 22nd, fourth and 13th in today's four races.

-RNZ