Burling beats Slingsby for Kiwis’ 1st SailGP regatta victory

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

Team New Zealand skipper Peter Burling got his long-awaited first SailGP win by knocking off sailing royalty while competing in front of real royalty in Plymouth, England. Burling steered the Kiwis’ foiling 50-foot catamaran to victory in the podium race of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Plymouth. He beat trans-Tasman rival Tom Slingsby to end Team Australia’s five-regatta winning streak spanning two seasons. Denmark’s Nicolai Sehested finished third in his first SailGP podium race. Slingsby has led the Aussies to consecutive season championships and the $1 million prize and had won seven of the last eight regattas.