New Zealand wins its inaugural title
SINGAPORE — The shorelines of East Coast Park came alive on Sunday (15 January) as bright and speedy catamarans powered around the seas for the inaugural Singapore leg of the Sail Grand Prix series.
It culminated in a champion team, who overcame a points deduction penalty before the races started to secure a fantastic weekend of sailing.
New Zealand suffered a 4-point loss when they collided the United States team On Thursday, they were cheering loudly for their dominant win in the match race final against Australia and Denmark. They clinched the Singapore SailGP title.
Peter Burling, team captain, stated that “Obviously the points deduction made it harder and it was a little frustrating.”
“But, in order for us to bounce back we had to minimize any damage that might result here. We’ve certainly done that.” This is a testament to the strength of our team.
This was an inspiring victory under pressure. New Zealand only had four races this weekend to avoid the points penalty. They won the first race of the weekend on Saturday, and then they had enough points to qualify for Sunday’s match-race final.
Burling’s crew saved the best for the final, which was only raced by the top three teams of the nine-team fleet. They raced away from Australia and Denmark in wet and windy conditions to win the title.
New Zealand’s win narrowed the gap to Australia (68 points) at the top of the 2022/23 SailGP Championship leaderboard. There are two races left for them to qualify for the grand final in May.
Burling stated that “this weekend really helps.” We were pleased to be able “to step out against the chasing pack in France and Great Britain”, despite the penalty points.
Singapore’s global position
Alvin Tan, Minister for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth, stated to reporters that sporting events like the SailGP are crucial in helping Singapore get on the map. This is as the city-state aims to revitalize its tourism industry after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions last January.
“We’re exploring new, creative ways of anchoring Singapore as a destination for tourists, sports, and leisure. SailGP is a sign of what Singapore has to offer, he stated.
“SailGP allows the world to see Singapore from a completely different perspective. We are just beginning our partnership and can’t wait to see SailGP evolve over time to become a great and engaging product.”
The SailGP series moves on to Sydney for next month’s Australian leg, and Christchurch for March’s New Zealand leg. The grand final in San Francisco will be decided in May by the top three teams based on their overall standings following the New Zealand leg.
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