Latest - New Zealand sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have won their fifth title at the 49er world sailing championships in Auckland.
Blair Tuke and Peter Burling celebrate their fifth world title Photo: Photosport
The Rio Olympic gold medallists had to overcome capsizes, broken equipment and a DNF in the two morning gold fleet races, and that was before the challenges of the double points medal race.
Burling slipped off the back of the boat and into the Waitemata when tacking on the first upwind leg of the high-stakes race, plunging the New Zealand pair to the back of the fleet.
They fought their way back to finish fourth in the top-10 shootout, only one place behind the German pair of Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel, to win by six points overall.
"We said going into it that racing a world champs on your home waters would be right up there with the Olympics," Tuke said afterwards.
"It always feels good when you do it in that fashion, when it comes down to the wire as well. We would have liked to have won by more but you take it any way you can. We're really proud that we came back in the end there."
They were thankful they still had a good drop for their worst result up their sleeves because the pair broke their tiller extension in the first race of the day and eventually withdrew.
They came back with a third in the second race - won by the Germans - and took an eight-point advantage into the medal race
"It was a bit annoying," an understated Burling said of his swim in the medal race. "It was really choppy out there and hard to get the timing quite right."
Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn also snapped their tiller extension in the morning session, but finished second in the medal race and fifth overall. Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie agonisingly missed out on the top 10 on countback.
Olympic silver medallists Alex Maloney and Molly Meech took sixth overall in the 49erFX.
Black Ferns Sevens defend Dubai title
The New Zealand women's sevens team have taken out the Dubai leg of the World Series.
Stacey Waaka Photo: Photosport
Champions at the same event last season, the Kiwi side have scored a late try to edge Canada 17-14 in Sunday morning's final.
Canada led 14-5 at halftime, with Stacey Waaka's second try of the match shortly after the restart bringing New Zealand within two points, before Gayle Broughton dotted down in the last minute to seal the come-from-behind win.
The win puts New Zealand, who beat Fiji 24-10 in the quarterfinals and the USA 24-7 in the semifinals, equal top in the standings after two rounds, alongside the USA.
Meanwhile, New Zealand has gone down 15-0 to South Africa in the men's final in Dubai.
The Kiwi team had earlier beaten the USA 26-5 in the quarterfinals, before overcoming England 19-12 in the semifinals.
The tournament was the opening event of the new season for the men's teams.
Phoenix continue A-League rise
The Wellington Phoenix are officially on a roll.
After a poor start to the A-League football season, the Phoenix have three straight wins after a a controversial late penalty kick gave them a 2-1 victory over Western Sydney in Auckland on Saturday night.
Ulises Davila netted his fourth penalty of the season for Wellington. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The result, which extended their unbeaten record at Eden Park to six matches, lifts them to fourth on the ladder after eight matches.
Head coach Ufuk Talay said the squad is feeling good.
"There is momentum and I think there's also confidence
"The more they win games, the players are more confident and they want to get on the ball.
"The more our players want to get on the ball, that means the more chance we have of going forward and creating opportunities."
The next match for the Phoenix is away to Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
Stenson shines as Tiger fades
Tournament host Tiger Woods faded down the stretch as Henrik Stenson almost made albatross at the 15th hole en route to a one-shot victory over at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
Swede Stenson hit a mighty approach shot that almost trickled in at the par-five, and the tap-in eagle gave him the sole lead from fast-finishing Spaniard Jon Rahm.
Swedish golfer Henrik Stenson Photo: Photosport
Stenson held his nerve down the stretch with three straight pars, carding six-under-par 66 at Albany Golf Club.
Stenson's first victory in more than two years will be unofficial for record purposes on the PGA Tour due to the small 18-man field.
Defending champion Rahm, who also eagled the 15th, albeit with a 30-foot putt, shot 66 for second place.
Woods was tied for the lead with five holes left but hit three poor shots in a row en route to a bogey at the 14th hole and was never a threat thereafter.
With a 69, he finished four shots back in fourth place in a final competitive sortie before leading the American team as a playing captain at the Presidents Cup in Australia next week.
- Reuters
More gold for Kiwi cyclists
New Zealand has won two more gold medals at the Track Cycling World Cup event in Cambridge.
Reigning world champion Campbell Stewart showed his class to win gold in the men's omnium on Saturday night, while Holly Edmondston took out the women's scratch race.
Campbell Stewart. Photo: Guy Swarbrick
The performances led another strong night at the Avantidrome for New Zealand riders with the pairing of Michaela Drummond and Jesse Hodges also claiming bronze in the madison.
The New Zealand sprinters did not feature in the hunt for medals with Natasha Hansen and Olivia Podmore, who won the team sprint gold medal on Friday, not able to repeat their heroics in the individual sprint.
Eddie Dawkins was baulked during the keirin qualifiers and missed out on the final but dug deep with a superb solo two-lap sprint to win the consolation final for seventh.
With the team sprint men having secured their place in February's World Championships, Dawkins has been given a spell from next week's Brisbane World Cup, with Sam Dakin to ride with Sam Webster and Ethan Mitchell.
Women secure Auckland golf double
Auckland have won the New Zealand Women's Golf Interprovincials for a fourth year in a row, getting revenge on Manawatu/Whanganui in a tense final at Maraenui Golf Club on Saturday.
It's the eighth time in the last 10 years Auckland have etched their name on the interprovincial trophy, winning the final 3-2 over a Manawatu/Whanganui outfit who had beaten the champions in round robin play.
With he result, Auckland also completed a rare double with the men winning at Hastings Golf Club just a week earlier.
Manawatu/Whanganui's Tara Raj beat Vivian Lu in the top match to go undefeated for the entire week, and deservedly won player of the tournament.
Auckland will look to defend their title next year at home, at Akarana Golf Club, while the men's side will also look to defend at Whitford Park Golf Club.
