Sailor Josh Junior is “honoured and excited” after becoming the latest athlete to be selected for the New Zealand Olympic team, eight weeks out from the games.
The 31-year-old was selected ahead of close friend and training partner Andy Maloney for the one position available to New Zealand in the heavyweight dinghy on the back of his consistently high results at pinnacle events.
In 2019 he became the first Kiwi to win the Finn Gold Cup (World Championships) since its introduction in 1956 and he followed that with bronze at this month’s Finn Gold Cup in Portugal.
Maloney won the world title in Portugal, not only illustrating the depth of Finn sailing in this country but also emphasising the success of the pair’s shared campaign approach, and he will now take over as Junior’s coach for the Olympics.
Junior was seventh in the Finn at the 2016 Rio Olympics and will go to Tokyo excited about his chances.
“I feel honoured and excited to get the chance to represent New Zealand at the Tokyo Olympics,” he said.
“It’s incredibly special to be a part of the team and I can’t wait to get there and try to win a gold medal for New Zealand.”
