Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup (7-3) for the 4th time in 26 years on Wednesday in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Auckland. Catchy the first days, the Italians of Luna Rossa were no longer the weight then.
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Lhe regattas of the last two days could have made believe in a suspense maintained until the end. But this time, the Italians of Luna Rossa have not made the weight. On Wednesday, on the occasion of the 10th America’s Cup regatta, the New Zealanders took the advantage from the first tack to cross the line with 46 seconds ahead of the challenger and thus win the famous and superb Silver Ewer for the 4th time in 26 years.
Peter Burling: “It’s completely unreal”
“It’s completely unreal, a huge satisfaction for the whole team,” responded Peter Burling, the coxswain of Team New Zealand, who, at barely 30, won the cup for the second time already (after 2017 in Bermuda), thus equaling the record of his late compatriot Peter Blake, architect of New Zealand’s first two victories (1995, 2000). “I find it difficult to prioritize the two successes that I have achieved with the great team around me. Winning the victory in Bermuda (7-1 against the Americans) allowed us to take back the Cup; to impose ourselves here, in front of this incredible crowd, is another emotion. This is terrible! “
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Of course, mingled with the crowd, which visibly no longer has concerns about covid, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern solemnly declared, but with humor, that “the America’s Cup is a bit like the America’s Cup. from New Zealand now ”; a gimmick that would then run in a loop throughout the award ceremony.
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Italians both disappointed and proud of what they have shown
While the Italians had led the dance for a while (3-2), they have not scored a single point since Saturday, leaving the kiwis to line up 5 consecutive successes afterwards. A score which changed in favor of the defender following the errors accumulated by the crew of Luna Rossa: Monday when the boat suddenly lost its wings and especially the advantage of more than… 4 minutes that it had then saved on the defender; and also Tuesday, when he had virtually won the race, but picked the wrong side of the pelvis during one of the last tack changes.
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Francesco Bruni: “I hope we will come back”
“It’s hard to lose today, but I’m super proud of the team and of what we’ve done throughout this campaign,” said Francesco Bruni, one of Luna Rossa’s two helmsmen. “It was very close, but we showed the world that we are a great team. Simply, we came across an even stronger team. But sincerely, I hope that we will have another chance to demonstrate our know-how. “
And for his part, Jimmy Spithill to abound: “I am both very disappointed, while saluting Team New Zealand which deserves its victory”, said the Australian helmsman of Luna Rossa, who has four finals of the Cup. America to his record (two wins, two losses). “For my part, I think I have had one of the most incredible experiences of my career within this team. Having spent long months in Sardinia with the team, I felt what the passion and commitment of all these guys was. Frankly, we had a great campaign! “
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