Kiwi sailors Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie have taken the baton passed by America's Cup royalty to capture silver in the Paris Olympics 49er division at Marseille.
Inheritting the spot previously occupied by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke — probably two of New Zealand's greatest-ever seafarers — the pair have shown themselves worthy of the honour, taking advantage of their rivals' misfortune in the final, double-points medal race to improve their place on the podium.
Entering the contest in third, behind Spain and Ireland, McHardie and McKenzie caught the start perfectly and watched as the Irish were recalled for jumping the gun, effectively handing over the silver medal. Their error ultimately cost Ireland any medal at all, as they trailled the fleet home and USA also moved past on the over all standings.
Speaking after the race, the pair reflected on the win.
"It was so good we have been wanting this all week and to finally get it done is awesome.
"To bring home a silver medal for New Zealand is something we have wanted since we were kids."
Matt Steven, NZ Sailing coach, said the duo have good chemistry.
"They are really good mates and the dynamic they have formed they are equals and there is no one more dominant than the other."
After medalling at the last three Olympics — gold at Rio 2016, silver at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 — and five world titles in the skiff class, Burling and Tuke chose to bypass these Games to concentrate on concurrent SailGP and America's Cup campaigns. Their absence opened the door for their successors.
Ironically, Spaniard Diego Botin not only defeated the Kiwis at the SailGP championship in San Francisco, he also guided his nation to gold at Paris, along with teammate Florian Trittel.
The Spanish had not won a race during the fleet rounds, but took control when it mattered, flying off the startline and heading their NZ rivals around the first two marks.
With Ireland floundering at the back of the pack, McHardie and McKenzie chose to take the third mark conservatively to avoid penalty, relinquishing second to the Netherlands, but preserving their grip on silver overall.
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