Peter Burling, Team New Zealand America's Cup skipper, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Former Team New Zealand skipper Peter Burling is proud of what he achieved with the team in the America's Cup.
It was announced earlier this month Burling, who won the America's Cup three times with the syndicate, will leave the team.
A statement released by Burling and Team New Zealand team principal Grant Dalton at the time said discussions between the two parties had been ongoing since defending the Cup in Barcelona last year, but an agreement was not able to be reached.
Speaking for the first time since then, Burling had little more to offer.
"I'm incredibly proud of everything we've done with Team New Zealand for the last 10 years, obviously we didn't manage to reach an agreement.
"I have a great relationship with Grant and we get along really well and both have a massive amount of respect for one another."
Burling and longtime teammate Blair Tuke are joint CEOs of the New Zealand Sail GP team, and Burling said that was something for him to focus on.
"I'm looking forward to continuing to build the Black Foils."
Burling and Tuke were speaking in Auckland to promote Foil4TheGulf, a new environmental initiative with Live Ocean, the foundation the pair were involved with to fund action for a healthy ocean.
Team New Zealand was yet to announce their line-up for the next America's Cup, and Tuke wouldn't say if he would be involved.
"Still working through exactly where my future lies but Live Ocean and the Black Foils is locked in."
Tuke, who also won Olympic gold and silver with Burling, had high praise for what his teammate had done in the America's Cup.
"For all of us it's the end of an era and a very successful one and Pete should be incredibly proud of all he has achieved and what we've achieved as a team."
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