New Zealand sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke celebrate winning gold in the 49er class at Rio 2016.
Being named the best team in the country at the Halberg Awards meant sailors Blair Tuke and Peter Burling could turn up to work two hours late.
After a few celebratory beers with their coach, the Olympic gold medallists and winners of the Team Award at the 54th Halberg Awards on Thursday night turned up to the Team New Zealand base at 9.30am yesterday.
Speaking from the team's Auckland base the, Kerikeri sailor Tuke said: "Yeah we were allowed to start work a couple of hours later."
It was the fifth time Tuke and Burling had been nominated in the team category and this year they headed off strong contenders Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, who have notched up the most consecutive wins in rowing history.
"We were hoping it would be a case of fifth time lucky at these awards. We were stoked we could put together a string of top races and our best performance at Rio."
The combo had the gold medal in the bag even before they hit the water for the final race at the Olympic regatta.
Their 43-point winning margin across 13 races was the largest of any Olympic sailing event since the modern scoring system was introduced in 1968.
"We prepared for a close battle and sailed well through out the week and we ended up with a bit of a margin," Tuke said.
In 2016 they also won the Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, the European Championships, and the 49er World Championship at Kieler Woche.
Tuke said the Halberg Award was the result of loads of hard work and was also recognition for the people who had helped them achieve their goal.
And while the duo were able to add another trophy to their ever-increasing cabinet, there is one cup they really want to get their hands on this year - The America's Cup.
"Everyone in the team is working hard towards bringing the cup back to New Zealand," Tuke said.
The duo were also nominated in the Sporting Moment of the Year category, voted for by the public, which was won by pole vaulting sensation Eliza McCartney, who won bronze at Rio.
The other Northlander to bring home a trophy was Opua-based swim coach Myra Larcombe.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Larcombe by former Silver Fern and Black Fern, now MP, Louisa Wall.
Larcombe has been involved with swimming in New Zealand for many years, helping establish the Bay of Islands swimming club and since then has taught hundreds of kids to swim.
Larcombe has been a true servant to New Zealand sport for most of her life and received a standing ovation by those at the awards ceremony.
Larcombe took her daughter Janine Quaid to the glitzy event where they sat at the same table as Dame Valerie Adams, Nick Willis and Paralympian swimmer Mary Fisher.
At the "mix and mingle" after all the awards were dished out Larcombe said there was time to have photos taken with the other athletes.
"Blair and Peter were pushing and shoving each other trying to get a photo with me. I told them to get in line.
Mahe Drysdale and Rob Waddell also queued to have their photo with Larcombe.
I think it's just because I'm old," said the 89-year-old.
Larcombe was also the first female officer to work in Northland when she was posted to the Whangarei police station in 1954.
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