Peter Burling (born 1 January 1991) is a New Zealand sailor. He is a three-time winning helmsman of the America's Cup for Emirates Team New Zealand in 2017, 2021, and 2024, and a three-time Olympic medalist in the 49er class, of which 2016 was a gold medal together with Blair Tuke. He has also won six editions of the 49er World Championship, two 420 World Championships and the 2015 Moth World Championship. In offshore racing, Burling completed the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race with Team Brunel, finishing third. Burling won line honours in the 2025 Fastnet race on SVR-Lazartigue.
Burling's awards include the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sailing, the male World Sailor of the Year in 2015 (together with Tuke) and 2017, and the Magnus Olsson Prize in 2020.
Early life and education Burling was born in 1991 in Tauranga. His education began at Welcome Bay School and Tauranga Intermediate School. He started sailing at the age of six in the Welcome Bay estuary near his home in Tauranga, in an old wooden Optimist called Jellytip. At the age of eight, he joined Tauranga Yacht Club and started competing.
Burling attended high school at Tauranga Boys' College, also attended at the time by cricketer Kane Williamson. Later, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Auckland where he completed half of the 4-year degree.
Sailing career Early career Burling sailed in his first Optimist nationals at age nine. At the age of eleven, in 2002, Burling finished second in the New Zealand Optimist Nationals (under-16). He competed in the 2002 Optimist World Championship in Texas at the age of 11. In 2003, at the age of 12, Burling won the New Zealand Optimist Nationals and competed in the 2003 Optimist Worlds in the Canary Islands where he finished 40th. He stopped sailing the Optimist at age 12.
At age 13, he was second in the New Zealand P-class nationals (under 17), to Timaru local hero Thomas Olds. He won the NZ Starling nationals (under 19) – (winning both the fleet racing and matchracing titles) twice – at age 14 and 15.
At the age of 15, Burling and Carl Evans won the 2006 420 World Championships in the Canary Islands – the youngest sailors ever to do so. They also became the under-16 and under-18 world champions. At 16 years old, Burling successfully defended his 420 title to win the 420 World Championships sailed in Auckland. He also won the under-18 world championship. Burling finished 6th in the 2007 470 European Championships – his first international 470 regatta and had his best world ranking in the 470 of 5th in 2008.
Olympic classes Burling finished 11th in the 470 class at the 2008 Olympics. At 17 years old (still at school), he was the youngest sailor ever to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games. Burling was the youngest sailing competitor at the 2008 Olympics and the youngest member of the 2008 New Zealand Olympic team.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Burling (then aged 21) was the youngest 49er sailor. He won the silver medal as helm in the 49er class alongside Blair Tuke. His silver medal was, jointly, New Zealand's 100th Olympic medal.
Burling with Blair Tuke were Olympic flag bearers for New Zealand at the 2016 Olympics. They were just the 4th New Zealand flagbearers to win a gold medal at the same Olympics. At age 25, Burling was the youngest ever 49er Olympic gold medal skipper. He and Tuke won the 2016 Olympics with two races to spare and by an overall 43-point margin – winning by the most points of any sailing class in the Olympics in over 50 years.
Burling and Tuke won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics – missing the gold medal on countback.
Burling and Tuke are the first sailors to win six 49er class World Championships (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020). They won all 28 of the major regattas in the 49er between the London Olympics (2012) and the Rio Olympics (2016). The only regatta they did not win in this time was when they finished 3rd in a short 2-day regatta prior to the Olympics. In all the major regattas (Olympics, Worlds, Europeans, World Cup) in 2015 and 2016 they led into the medal races by over 20 points – effectively winning the regattas before the medal race.
America's Cup Burling approached America's Cup sailing by helming for Team Korea's White Tiger Challenge, in the 2011–13 America's Cup World Series in San Francisco in 2012. He then skippered the New Zealand Sailing Team entry to victory in the inaugural Red Bull Youth America's Cup in San Francisco in September 2013.
For the 2017 America's Cup, he became the helmsman for Emirates Team New Zealand's campaign. The racing was held in Bermuda. Burling helmed the New Zealand boat to the America's Cup match by beating Artemis Racing in the 2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger's Trophy finals. On 27 June 2017, he became the youngest winning helmsman in the history of the America's Cup, when at age 26 he and his team won the 35th competition for the cup.
Burling was the winning skipper and helmsman for Emirates Team New Zealand's 2021 America's Cup campaign. Emirates Team New Zealand won the 2021 America's Cup event in Auckland on 17 March 2021. Burling at 30 years, 2 months became the youngest ever skipper to win the America's Cup.
Emirates Team New Zealand won the 2024 America's Cup in Barcelona on 20 October 2024. Peter Burling was the skipper and joint helmsman with Nathan Outteridge. (The AC75 yachts have two helmsmen.) Peter Burling became only the second helmsman to win three America's Cups in consecutive contests after Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (1930, 1934 and, 1937). Burling has won 22 America's Cup races, beating the record of 17 previously held by Jimmy Spithill.
Emirates Team New Zealand announced Burling’s departure from the team on 11 April 2025.
On 20 June 2025, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli announced the addition of Burling to their sailing team. They have yet to specify the nature of his role.
Offshore sailing In 2013, Burling sailed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with Pretty Fly 3, finishing 14th overall. In 2014. he finished fourth in the Auckland to Fiji Yacht Race on Wired. In 2017, Burling finished third overall in the Fastnet Race, sailing on Nikita. He sailed the Fastnet race in 2025 for the second time, taking line honours on SVR-Lazartigue.
Burling sailed as watch captain and helmsman with Team Brunel on the round-the-world 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race finishing third overall in the closest finish in the history of the race, with the top three boats going into the final leg effectively tied on points and finishing just 25 minutes apart. Team Brunel won three of the final five legs, including the leg from Auckland to Brazil, which the organisers say was the hardest leg in the history of the race.
SailGP Together with Blair Tuke, he was named joint-CEO of the New Zealand SailGP Team in 2020.
Burling is the helmsman and co-CEO (with Blair Tuke) of the New Zealand boat Amokura. 5th overall in season 2 (their first season in the competition) 2nd in season 3 3rd, though overall season points leader in season 4, winning 5 events.
Other sailing Burling was the 2015 International Moth World Champion. He was 2nd in the 2017 Moth Worlds. He finished 3rd in the 2014 A class catamaran Worlds.
Personal life Burling married long time partner, Lucinda Nelson, on the weekend of 4 March 2023 in the Coromandel Peninsula, on New Zealand's North Island. Teammates & friends Blair Tuke, Andy Maloney, and Josh Junior were his groomsmen.
Burling is a founder of Live Ocean – a registered New Zealand charity which supports and invests in promising marine science, innovation, technology and marine conservation projects.
Awards
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sailing, 2017 New Year Honours. ISAF Rolex World Male Sailor of the year 2017 ISAF Rolex World Male Sailor of the year 2015 (with Blair Tuke) Magnus Olsson prize 2020 "for an indelible contribution to the world of sailing."" Lonsdale Cup (NZOC) 2020 (With Blair Tuke) "for a New Zealand athlete (or team) who has demonstrated the most outstanding contribution to an Olympic or Commonwealth sport during the previous year." Finalist, Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2014, 2015, 2016 (with Blair Tuke), 2017, 2021. Yachting New Zealand Sailor of the Year 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (with Blair Tuke) Yachting New Zealand Young Sailor of the Year 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 Halberg Sports Team of the Year 2016. (with Blair Tuke) Finalist Halberg awards (New Zealand), Team of the Year (with Blair Tuke) 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.
Sailing results Volvo Ocean Race 2017–2018 – Volvo Ocean Race – Team Brunel (helmsman and watch captain)
America's Cup 2024 – 37th America's Cup – Emirates Team New Zealand (helmsman and skipper) 2021 – 36th America's Cup – Emirates Team New Zealand (helmsman and skipper) 2017 – 35th America's Cup – Emirates Team New Zealand (helmsman)
Olympic Games 2021 – 49er class with Blair Tuke 2016 – 49er class with Blair Tuke 2012 – 49er class with Blair Tuke (age 21) 11th 2008 – 470 class with Carl Evans (age 17)
World Championships
World Championship titles 2020 – 49er World Champion – Geelong, Australia (with Blair Tuke) 2019 – 49er World Champion – Auckland, New Zealand (with Blair Tuke) 2016 – 49er World Champion – Clearwater, Florida, USA (with Blair Tuke) 2015 – 49er World Champion – Buenos Aires, Argentina (with Blair Tuke) 2015 – Moth World Champion – Sorrento, Australia. 2014 – 49er World Champion – Santander, Spain (with Blair Tuke) 2013 – 49er World Champion Marseille, France (with Blair Tuke) 2007 – 420 Open World Champion, age 16. 2006 – 420 Open World Champion, age 15.
Other World Championship results 2nd – 2017 – 2nd Int Moth World Championships – Lake Garda, Italy 2nd – 2012 – 2nd 49er World Championships – Croatia (with Blair Tuke) 2nd – 2011 – 2nd 49er World Championships – Perth, Australia (with Blair Tuke) 3rd – 2014 – 3rd A class catamaran World Championships – Auckland, New Zealand (first rookie) 3rd – 2009 – 3rd ISAF Teams Racing Worlds – Perth, Australia 4th – 2019 – A class World Championships Australia 10th – 2013 – Moth World Championships Hawaii 4th – 2011 – Moth World Championships Lake Macquarie, Australia 17th – 2010 – 49er World Championships – Bahamas (with Blair Tuke) 26th – 2009 – 49er World Championships – Lake Garda, Italy (with Blair Tuke) 11th – 2008 – 470 World Championships (with Carl Evans)age 17 45th – 2007 – 470 World Championships (with Carl Evans) age 16 6th – 2005 – 420 Open World Championships (helm) 40th – 2003 – Optimist World Championship – Canary Islands (age 12) 116th – 2002 – Optimist World Championship – Texas (age 11).
Other achievements 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Unbeaten in major 49er regattas worldwide (27 49er regatta victories since London Olympics).
2013 Skipper of the winning boat in the Red Bull Youth America's Cup.
2020:- 2020 1st Prada America's Cup World Series Auckland (skipper and helm for Emirates Team New Zealand)
2020 49er regattas:- 2020 1st 49er World Championships – Geelong, Australia (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2020 2nd 49er Oceanias (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2019 49er regattas:- 2019 1st 49er World Championships – Auckland, New Zealand (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2019 3rd 49er Oceanias (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2019 7th Princessa Sofia Regatta (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2019 3rd World Cup Regatta Genoa (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2019 1st 49er Europeans (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2019 1st 49er Olympic test event (sailing with Blair Tuke)
2017:- 2017 Rolex Fastnet race 3rd (Line honours) (sailing on Nikita)
2017 2nd – 2017 – 2nd Int Moth World Championships – Lake Garda, Italy
2017 1st (Emirates Team New Zealand) America's Cup. – Helm
2017 1st (Emirates Team New Zealand) Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals – Helm
2017 1st Swan River Match Cup (Perth) – helm, sailing with Blair Tuke, Glenn Ashby, Josh Junior.
2016 49er regattas:- 2016 1st 49er Rio Olympics