Peter Burling is the most successful sailor of his generation. The three-time America's Cup winner and 2016 49er Olympic champion, who has also collected two Olympic silver medals and sailed around the world with Bouwe Bekking's Team Brunel in the Ocean Race in 2017/2018, is the benchmark in many sailing disciplines. He has won six world championship titles in the 49er and also won the Moth World Championship of the foiling future in 2015.
SailGP ace Peter Burling: right index finger injured
"Pistol Pete" Burling has already been voted World Sailor of the Year twice, in 2015 and 2017. And his former team, Emirates Team New Zealand, has just been honoured as Team of the Year for its overall performance. At the SailGP, Peter Burling has now been honoured by the fans as "Most Valuable Athlete of the Year". But he still lacks a title.
Peter Burling would love to win the SailGP Championship. The Black Foils led by him and Blair Tuke have positioned themselves well ahead of the final on 29 and 30 November in Abu Dhabi and are in second place, three points behind the British leaders after eleven of twelve events. If the Kiwis finish at least sixth in the Fleetraces in the Arabian region, they will reach the grand final under their own steam. Click here for an overview before the decision.
And now this: Peter Burling was injured on Wednesday during training off Abu Dhabi when he tried to fix a problem with the centreboard of the New Zealand F50 catamaran - a deep cut in his right index finger. The 34-year-old father of a young daughter was immediately taken to hospital for emergency surgery after the accident. Initial rumours that he had lost a part of his finger in the accident were tamped down by Burling on Thursday, saying only: "A little bit at the end."
Unfortunate timing for an accident at the SailGP
His statement on the accident: "We had an incident in training yesterday where I got a pretty deep cut on my finger. So, yes, I won't be sailing today and we'll just monitor the situation as it develops. It's not the ideal preparation for the Grand Final, but we believe the team is in top form and now it's about doing everything I can to recover and make sure I'm ready."
While Burling skipped training on Thursday, he was replaced by strategist Liv MacKay. Burling was very satisfied with the medical care on site, but admitted that the timing of such an injury a few days before the start of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2025 with the big season finale was unfortunate.
Will he be fit for action at the weekend? That depends on who you talk to, said the Kiwi, who is known to be hard-nosed and will leave no stone unturned to make his mark on the upcoming battle for two million US dollars in prize money. The final event in the Rolex SailGP 2025 will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. German time. ZDF will broadcast all races live. The links can be found on this page. The commentator is Kristin Recke.
The SailGP personnel carousel is spinning
The Germany SailGP Team is also ready for the final showdown of the fifth SailGP season. Erik Kosegarten-Heil said in Abu Dhabi: "We are feeling a certain momentum and are getting more and more complete races put together." Regarding planned team changes for the coming season, he said: "The crew lottery started a few months ago. There are probably more teams than you might think that are making temporary calls. Maybe something will happen in our team too..."
Back in the game for the season finale is Phil Robertson, who Jimmy Spithill has signed for Red Bull Italy. The attack-minded New Zealander, who is very popular with the fans, will be one of two riders in the team alongside Ruggero Tita. "We are the first team with two riders. I see that as a strength," said Robertson in Abu Dhabi. German SailGP fans know the Kiwi striker at the helm, who has now signed on with his sixth team and has probably gained the most diverse experience in the league, also as the champion of many furious outings in Match Race Germany off Langenargen on Lake Constance, which he won in 2012.
