Mean mozzie proves to have more bite than Prada

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

A mosquito did what Prada cannot - it felled the biggest guy in Team New Zealand.

Burly black-boat grinder Craig Monk spent three days in Auckland Hospital in the week before the America's Cup after a mosquito bit him on the hand.

It has now emerged that Monk battled a double infection to get on the boat for race one of the Cup.

The Olympic bronze medallist tried to keep his hospital stay secret, but it became impossible when people began recognising him with his arm in a sling.

Monk was bitten on his left hand while he was at the America's Cup Ball a week before the first race of the Cup.

"My hand swelled up so quick, so I went straight to the hospital," Monk said.

"They had to cut my new Cup watch off my wrist.

"I spent three days there with my arm up and on a drip with antibiotics."

Then things got worse when he went home. A large boil appeared on his wrist two days before race one.

"I had to get it lanced, but if I had got a general anaesthetic I would have missed the first race.

"So I got a local anaesthetic."

The doctor told him afterwards that he had never lanced such a boil under just a local anaesthetic before.

"I wasn't going to let it beat me.

"It was a tough week. I didn't sail the whole last week before the Cup, but it was probably the best thing.

"We had thrashed our bodies before the Cup began - I think my system was pretty run-down."

Monk stayed in the hospital bed occupied the previous week by his Team New Zealand crewmate Joey Allen, who had an infection in his elbow.

Monk, at 32 the youngest member of the Team NZ crew, raced the first three races - all won by the Kiwis.

But he will not be on board the boat for race four today. As part of the team scheme, he has been rotated to give Chris Ward a turn on the handles.