Editorial: America's Cup ultimate reward for Burling

When Team New Zealand crossed the finish line to win the America's Cup in Bermuda yesterday morning an entire nation rose as one to celebrate.

No other sporting event galvanises New Zealand quite like the America's Cup does - not the Olympics, not even the All Blacks.

It is remarkable how people of all ages and diverse backgrounds hold the America's Cup so close to their hearts.

There is no doubt the heartbreaking loss four years ago in San Francisco, when Oracle came back from 8-1 down to win 9-8, has much to do with the fervour shown this month.

So when Team New Zealand helmsman Peter Burling and captain Glenn Ashby held aloft the America's Cup there was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion.

Winning the oldest international sporting trophy has thwarted some of the greatest sailing minds since 1851.

Sir Peter Blake led the charge for New Zealand's first win in 1995. That victory and defence of the Cup at home in Auckland in 2000 ignited the Kiwi support campaign that has grown ever since.

Tauranga's Burling at just 26 is the youngest helmsmen to win the Auld Mug in a remarkable sailing career that has so many more highlights to come.

At 12 he was beating 16-year-olds in Optimist races off the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club. While still at Tauranga Boys' College he became the youngest sailor to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games.

World records, Olympic medals and endless accolades have followed through to his triumph in Bermuda.

But he has never changed his humble, self-effacing outlook on life which hides a steely-eyed determination to be the very best at everything he does.

Sir Edmund Hillary always said he was just an ordinary Kiwi and was never comfortable being a national icon. Burling has exactly the same traits we love in all our heroes.

There is a strong similarity between the young Hillary and Burling.

They share a strong jaw, that determined look in the eye and considered use of words, with neither renowned for overplaying any situation.

Over the next few days expect Burling to deflect the praise coming his way on to his sailing crew, ground team and the brilliant designers, who created the innovative use of cycles to create more grinding power on board the boat.

In the last week of the America's Cup racing, a more confident Burling emerged to dominate and finally silence Oracle's brash Australian helmsman Jimmy Spithill by winning the Cup.

It is the ultimate reward for the polite young man who grew up sailing on the Tauranga Harbour.