Emirates Team New Zealand announce sailing team line-up with four new faces joining the mainly returning crew that will power their AC75 when it hits the water later this winter.
It is a mix of familiar faces and new blood as the team continues to think outside the square by looking for the most suitable athletes to fill the intensely physical and technically demanding roles onboard the boat.
A number of the familiar faces that were onboard the America’s Cup winning crew as ‘cyclors’ in Bermuda are back again by making a successful transition back from the leg powered cycling system which has now been outlawed within the Class Rule for the 36th America’s Cup.
Returning to the team are:
- Andy Maloney (Kerikeri)
- Carlo Huisman (The Netherlands)
- Guy Endean (Auckland)
- Joe Sullivan (Picton)
- Josh Junior (Wellington)
- Simon van Velthooven. (Palmerston North)
The new names to join Emirates Team New Zealand come from a varied background.
Louis Sinclair (Wairoa) is new to the team but not to America’s Cup racing, having been with Oracle Team USA in Bermuda in 2017.
Sinclair has also competed in 2 Volvo Ocean races, in 2017/18 alongside team mate Blair Tuke onboard Mapfre, and as part of the 2014/15 winning team- Abu Dhabi.
Steven Ferguson (Auckland) is yet another internationally proven athlete to successfully transition from Olympic sport to grinding for Emirates Team New Zealand.
Ferguson represented New Zealand as a swimmer at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games before jumping out of the pool and into the kayak as a K1 & K2 sprinter for the Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic games.
Marcus Hansen (Whangarei) started sailing aged 7, winning the New Zealand Optimist Nationals in 2006, working his way through the classes before being part of the NZL sailing team in the 49er achieving a 2nd place at the 49er worlds in 2013.
Marius Van der pol (Russell) has joined the team as a rank outsider. Having cycled the length of New Zealand with the NZ Army in 2010, then setting a New Zealand record on the indoor rower in a time of 1:14 for 500m in 2018.
Emirates Team New Zealand Head of Physical Performance Dan Plews and Strength and Conditioning specialist Adam Storey will oversee the physical training and development of the sailing team towards the 36th America’s Cup Match in March 2021
The other remaining positions onboard will be covered by existing Emirates Team New Zealand sailors Glenn Ashby, Peter Burling, Blair Tuke and Ray Davies.
