Peter Burling probably would not look out of place wearing a red cape and a blue bodysuit with the letter “S” plastered across his broad chest.

Getting ahead of myself here? Perhaps.

However, while he may not be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Burling can sail — and very well at that.

At 24, the Emirates Team New Zealand helmsman has achieved more than others have in their entire careers.

The Tauranga-born sailor is already an Olympic medal winner and a world champion in the 49er, 420 and Moth.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand trimmer Blair Tuke won New Zealand’s 100th medal after taking silver in a 49er fleet that included Bermuda siblings Jesse and Zander Kirkland.

Since then Burling and Tuke have been unstoppable, reeling off 20 consecutive regatta victories in the double-handed 49er skiff to earn a nomination for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award for the second year in succession.

“Obviously we’re really happy to be nominated,” Burling said. “I’m really happy with how we have been sailing at the moment and it’s nice to get nominated for a big award like that.

“We have been going pretty good but everyone else is improving and getting closer, and so we have to keep pushing and keep getting better ourselves and obviously the final goal is to try and get the gold in Rio.”

After winning the inaugural Red Bull Youth America’s Cup with New Zealand Sailing Team in San Francisco in 2013, Burling succeeded Dean Barker as helmsman of Emirates Team New Zealand and appears to have made a seamless transition to his new role.

Burling helped guide Emirates Team New Zealand to a second-place finish at the first leg of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth, and then went one better with victory at the second leg in Gothenburg.

“As a relatively new crew, to be able to come up with the goods and take the win was exactly what we were aiming at,” Burling said. “These are small stepping stones towards the end goal for this team and the cup in 2017 and that’s going to be absolutely huge.”

Emirates Team New Zealand top the overall World Series leaderboard heading into this weekend’s third leg in Bermuda, where the Kiwi challenger aim to put more distance between themselves and the chasing pack.

“We’re really looking forward to the sailing in Bermuda and obviously we will be trying to repeat what we did in Gothenburg,” Burling said. “It’s about trying to get the best results we can for the team and try and improve as much as we can.

“This is my first trip to Bermuda and I’m really enjoying the place and getting to know it better because we are going to be spending a lot of time here trying to win the America’s Cup in a few years’ time.”