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Peter Burling and Blair Tuke sail the 49er class boat - Source: Reuters -
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New Zealand sailing's latest Olympic medallists - the 49er dinghy crew of skipper Peter Burling and Blair Tuke - will be tempted by a move to bigger boats if the chance arises.
Tuke says the pair have made no decisions about whether they'll pursue another shot at an Olympic title in Rio in 2016.
They haven't looked beyond the London Games regatta, which has been their focus for the past four years. However, their silver-medal experience at Weymouth, on England's south coast, does make another Olympic campaign an attractive proposition.
"We just have to see how we go about that," Tuke said. "There are so many other opportunities and we won't rush this decision - we'll sort it out when we get home."
Tuke and Burling have ambitions of following the path trodden by many other Olympic yachties in progressing to the likes of the America's Cup.
"We've mainly sailed dinghies and it would be a pretty steep learning curve for us," Tuke said. "But we're definitely keen to do the America's Cup or Volvo Ocean Race. That sort of stuff excites both of us."
Tuke (23) is a member of the Kerikeri Cruising Club, while Burling (21) is with the Tauranga Yacht Club. Their medal was the 100th claimed by New Zealand competitors at the Olympics and comes more than a century after walker Harry Kerr collected the first - a bronze in 1908 - when London was also host city.
Missing out on the gold, which went to world champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen, was disappointing to Tuke and Burling, who trained with the Australian pair.
"That's what we've been working for over the past four years - the opportunity to get the gold medal," Tuke said.
"The Australian guys sailed better than us. We just have to happy with silver, which we are."