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RIO DE JANEIRO -- After going nearly four years without a defeat aboard their high-performance skiff, New Zealand pair Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were beaten in a regatta in Rio de Janeiro in mid-July. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping .Not just by anyone, mind you. The loss in the South American Championships was to their trans-Tasman rivals from Australia, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen.The stunning defeat, after 27 straight regatta victories, raised eyebrows around the boat basin and now makes for a terrific story line as the wild 49er class begins its run at the Rio Olympics on Friday.Burling and Tuke certainly remain the favorites to upgrade their 2012 silver medal to gold. But they might be looking over their shoulders at Outteridge and Jensen, who rode the dominating Aussie tide on the English Channel in 2012 to claim the 49er gold medal.Outteridge and Jensen have spent the last four years focusing more on their jobs with Americas Cup syndicate Artemis Racing of Sweden than they have on the 49er class.Burling and Tuke have joined Emirates Team New Zealand since the Kiwis soul-crushing loss to Oracle Team USA in the 2013 Americas Cup, but have also concentrated heavily on the 49er, one of the fastest and most exciting Olympic classes.Theyve said that while the winning streak was nice, its gold that theyre focused on.At the very least, Outteridge and Jensen have quickly gotten up to speed in the last several weeks.And beating their rivals and former training partners?It was massive, Outteridge said. It was really important. We sort of won an event earlier in the year, too, but it was a very unofficial event, and Pete and Blair actually pulled out halfway through the event. We felt a little bit cheated there.But to do it in a proper event, at the South Americans, where pretty much the whole Olympic fleet was here, was quite good. Even though we still werent at our best then, weve still improved a lot since then. It was massive on the psychology.Ah yes, the psychology. Sailors have always relied on skullduggery and perhaps some hijinks to get one over on their opponents, whether its something that goes on out of view in the boatyard or perhaps something thats said at a news conference.During the 2013 Americas Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand had taken a seemingly unassailable lead when Jimmy Spithill, the Australian skipper of Oracle Team USA, was asked about his level of optimism in turning things around.`I think the question is, imagine if these guys lost from here, what an upset that would be, Spithill said. Theyve almost got it in the bag. Thats my motivation.Kiwi skipper Dean Barker, sitting next to Spithill, looked as if hed seen a ghost.Oracle staged one of the biggest comebacks in sports to retain the Auld Mug. A faster boat helped, but Spithills words may very well have gotten into Barkers head.The boost to the psyches of Outteridge and Jensen came on the water. It remains to be seen if it will affect the Kiwi crew.Its not that we never knew we couldnt do it, but it reminds us its not impossible, Outteridge said. It reminds ourselves, it reminds the fleet, and it reminds Pete and Blair that its not as easy as it looks. Theyre very smart guys. They know how much time and efforts required to win events, but the Olympics is very special and were going to draw on all our experience for this one.Outteridge and Jensen, known as Goobs, stepped away from Artemis in July. Outteridge said he spoke two years ago with syndicate head Iain Percy about how to handle the campaign for Rio. Percy won three Olympic medals for Britain, including two golds.We were going to take six months in the buildup. It didnt happen, but at least we had the final six weeks. Its been a big difference, Outteridge said.They showed up in Rio, took a week off, and then got going.Its the longest weve been in one country for four years, Outteridge said. It makes us feel rested, relaxed and ready for racing.Burling and Tuke know whats ahead.Theres been pressure on us, said Burling, who carried New Zealands flag at the opening ceremony, with Tuke marching at his side. Certainly the target is on our back. Were happy with that.He said the winning streak was great, but thats not what were about. Were trying to win in Rio. Everything we do is working toward that.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson