New Zealand’s reign as the master of high-speed yachting remains intact after they won the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona on Saturday, beating INEOS Britannia 7-2 in the best-of-13 final off the Catalan capital’s beachfront.
The Emirates Team New Zealand led by Grant Dalton and skipper of the yacht Peter Burling won its third consecutive cup, adding to wins in 2017 in Bermuda and 2021 in Auckland.
The eight-man crew embraced and cheered on the deck of the 75-foot Taihoro after holding Britannia off to win Race 9 (see link to full video below).
‘It is just sinking in. What an amazing day, this team has been amazing, what an amazing feeling,’ Burling said after his third America’s Cup and his finals-record 22nd race win, with the Kiwis securing victory by 37 seconds on Saturday.
INEO Britannia, meanwhile, the ‘Challenger of Record’ skippered by Sir Ben Ainslie, fell one step short of winning the Auld Mug for Britain for the first time in the competition’s 173-year history. They had won their place in the final for the first time in 60 years against the Kiwis, after winning the pre-main event Louis Vuitton Cup in early October. ALSO READ: GB back in America’s Cup final for the first time in 60 years, to race against NZ.
Onboard ‘Taihoro’ after victory, the sails were quickly and efficiently stowed before the New Zealand flag was raised above a banner with the Catalan words: ‘Moltes gràcies Barcelona’ (‘Many thanks, Barcelona’) – before the customary spraying of Moët & Chandon champagne in celebration.
Reflecting on what it felt as a team to win the 37th America’s Cup, Kiwi skipper Burling added: ‘Just incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished. The America’s Cup has got to be one of the hardest sporting trophies in the world to win. You’ve got to have so many parts come together to make it all work and now having done that three times in a row, it’s incredibly special.’
He also added a mention to Ben Ainslie and the INEOS Britannia team saying: ‘All credit to Ben and INEOS Britannia, I think they put together an incredible challenge, they pushed us the whole way, obviously we got a good jump on the leaderboard but every race felt like a real battle and they were amazing challengers.’
Ainslie himself, understandably disappointed, reflected on a remarkable campaign for the British saying: ‘Mixed emotions of course, first of all I’ve got to say credit to Emirates Team New Zealand, an amazing achievement for that organisation and for our team to get into the America’s Cup itself was a huge achievement and we’ve been on quite a journey for the last 10 years, and especially the last three years.’
‘Ultimately to fall short at the final hurdle is always tough, but we know that we’ve been up against one of the best if not ‘the’ best teams in the history of the Cup,’ he said. ‘We have to take that on the chin, and I think that the team have done a brilliant job to develop through this campaign, through this series and as one very plucky Brit said, it’s the courage to continue that counts, so that’s what we’re up for.’
Emirates Team New Zealand defended the 37th America’s Cup in style and accepted the trophy officially at the main stage of the Race Village on Saturday evening. The future of the event will be announced in ‘due course’, according to Grant Dalton, CEO of America’s Cup Event and Emirates Team New Zealand, with the tradition being for a challenge to be issued as soon as the winning boat crosses the finish line of the last race.
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