Great Britain have ended a 60-year wait to contest the America’s Cup after securing a landmark win over Italy’s Luna Rossa in the Louis Vuitton Cup final in Barcelona.
Ineos Britannia secured a 7-4 victory over Luna Rossa, sealing the win after prevailing in the first of two races on Friday.
This is an historic achievement for the team led by Sir Ben Ainslie, as they begin preparations for a battle with New Zealand to win the America’s Cup trophy, with the series starting on Saturday, October 12, live on TNT Sports and discovery +.
The British team got off to a rampant start by building up a 150m lead over Luna Rossa in the first leg of eight, before the Italians closed the gap to less than 30m on the fifth leg.
However, the victory required was ultimately by more than 300m, as Great Britain targets a first-ever victory in the history of the prestigious competition.
“It’s a massive day for our team,” said Ainslie on the America’s Cup live broadcast.
“I can’t say how proud I am of everyone, not just here on the water, but also back on the shore here in Barcelona and we’ve got a lot of people in Brackley in the UK who have been helping us on the technical side, so this is for the team.
“It took a lot of people to come in and support. There was some amazing people who came in and supported the team financially, then of course, Jim [Ratcliffe] and his team at Ineos coming in and helping us. That’s another huge thank you to all the supporters of British sailing and British America’s Cup over the years. This moment is for you.”
Ineos chief executive officer and Manchester United’s minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe also gave his reaction to the news in an interview with the BBC.
He added: “It’s 60 years since we’ve been in this place. They sailed a faultless race today.
“This is right up there really. It’s not followed by the mass public, but I think in the UK now it’ll pick up momentum, and it should do because it’s the oldest international trophy in the world and the only one we haven’t won.”
Stream the 2024 America’s Cup live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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Publish date : 2024-10-04 05:21:00
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