The crew of Emirates Team New Zealand celebrates victory after the race between Emirates Team New Zealand and Team Ineos Britannia in the 37th America’s Cup
Image credit: Getty Images
Race 9 was arguably the most enthralling of the entire competition, with a very even start which saw Ineos Britannia lead across the line, but ultimately ETNZ make it to the mark first. New Zealand had managed to build a lead only to be pegged back by the Brits on the third leg, closing the gap by over 10 seconds.
It was nip and tuck all the way, but the Kiwis were faultless, absorbed all the pressure and crossed the line to take the win – the emotions immediately being unleashed.
“What an amazing feeling. It’s been a tough battle all week, but really proud of how the team have battled all day,” said Kiwi helmsman Peter Burling. “Barcelona has been absolutely amazing, and what an amazing feeling.”
“It’s pretty special,” agreed his co-helmsman Nathan Outteridge. “I’ve loved every minute of it, and great to close it out today.”
ETNZ looked too good almost from the word go, with just one day where Ineos Britannia managed to get the better of their rivals.
Being able to fine-tune their boat while Britannia were still racing hard to even make it to the finals seemed to make a difference, with the Kiwi team racing out to a 4-0 lead at the start of the regatta.
Although Ineos Britannia pegged them back to 4-2, the Kiwis bounced back strongly to win the last four races to take the overall victory. Their winning margins were 41s, 27s, 52s, 23s, 1m 13s, 55s and 37s.
Dethroning the Kiwis next time around will be difficult, given the America’s Cup allows the defenders to choose the location and set some of the rules for the next contest – but for now, Ineos Britannia will be left licking their wounds after being unable to take the fight to their opponents in the fashion they would have hoped.
But as Ainslie said, he is getting closer each time to bringing home the Auld Mug in a British boat – and he can never be discounted, even if today belonged to a very special New Zealand boat.
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6713dbd2615e4d0191a47366b68f8644&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurosport.com%2Fsailing%2Famerica-s-cup%2F2024%2Famericas-cup-new-zealand-ineos-britannia_sto20046585%2Fstory.shtml&c=5001680991153871773&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-19 02:58:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
