Laser Racers Meet Again

Tim Burton has never really hid the fact that his animosity with his rival sailor Stipanovic is not limited to the waters alone. He freely admits that both of them are competitive even off the waters and they cannot really term each other as friends.

Both sailors being part of the Laser competitive race, they have faced each other time and again. In the recently concluded Rio Olympics both the sailors were found competing for the gold and Stipanovic had to admit defeat as he was forced to make a penalty turn due to a clever move by Burton. They had previously competed in Kos, Alicante and Stockholm.

After the Olympics, the two competitors would be meeting up again in Melbourne. Hence, fans and media are intrigued to know how the two sailors feel about having to face each other again in the waters. Burton feels that the animosity that they have for each other has simmered down to healthy levels now. As a result, both are respectful of each other’s abilities.

Burton might have won gold at the Rio but he also suffered a tear in one of his joints for which he had to have surgery. The move that he did on Stipanovic might have been forgotten by many, but Burton is still working around it. He is also trying to get back to normal life. His walking is impaired slightly, but it would not deter him from appearing in the Sailing World Cup Finals coming up in Melbourne. Burton has already sailed in about seven regattas in the same event since the time he debuted in 2006 in competitive sailing.

If he is able to master the event, it would definitely lead to three wins in a row. However, as his physical form is not totally there, he is skeptical of his performance this time.

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