Italians beat the British in the Prada Cup, New Zealand
aIn the end there were no more questions. The Italians have shown themselves to be extremely cautious in the past few days. They fought decisively – on land with lawyers, and on water with sailors also from Australia. On Sunday afternoon, after two more Hurricane Golf wins over the British team, they finally won the right to challenge the New Zealanders to the Copa America at the start of March.
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Christoph Heine
Business reporter for South Asia / Pacific based in Singapore.
Luna Rossa won the Challenger Prada Cup with seven wins in eight races from Auckland. After six matches, this is the second time they have reached the finals of the 170-year-old Copa America. The British expedition, marked by enormous sailing power and expenditures estimated at more than $ 100 million, vanished Sunday afternoon in New Zealand after nearly six years.
“You sailed brilliantly, the best package deal and deservedly won,” Sir Ben Ainsley, who led the British, congratulated the Italians while at the port. Under the guidance of their Australian captain Jimmy Spethyl, they proved the full gamut on the bite, allowing them to exhaust everything – including legal odds. Meanwhile, Luna Rossa is proving to be ahead of Britannia, especially in light wind conditions that only reached twelve knots this weekend. The Italian AC75 was able to travel more and more altitude at the same speed at the intersection.
The mission is impossible for Ainslie, too
The team around four-time Olympic champion Ainsley won the first start Sunday morning. However, on the first cross pass, the Italians played a slight advantage and led the lead by 16 seconds. Then they achieved their sixth victory on the streak without any risk. Ainslie said bitterly after the sixth round: “From now on, it’s very simple actually: We have to win every race from now on.”
That seemed impossible even for a man like him, world famous for his victories in desperate situations. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Ainsley was still in 19th place on day two to take the gold medal in the end. At the 2012 Olympics in England, he returned with six races before winning the Olympic gold medal for the fourth time.
The “winner”: The Italians are happy with their victory in the final of the two competitors.
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Photo: AFP
A year later, the best sailor transferred especially at the America’s Cup off San Francisco helped the American Oracle team achieve a 9: 8 victory from a deficit of 1: 8 wins and a trophy win. This victory is considered by many to be the greatest resurrection in sport. At the time, the young American helmsman supported by Ainsley was called Jimmy Spethyl.
Against him, the Old Man drove on Sunday after the start of the second round – the last chance for the British. However, at the buoy facing the wind, the Italians again worked with a lead about 160 meters long. “We have to do something special now,” Ainsley told his tactical expert, Giles Scott, who was also an Olympic gold medalist. But even the right side of the path, which the British chose to break when the winds continued to be light, no longer lead them to success.
In the end, Luna Rossa was less than a minute ahead. Spithill, whom they call “Pitbull” for a reason, has boosted his image as an athlete suffering from hypothermia. After crossing the finish line, he told his team, “Get down the sails and let’s go to the beach for a beer.” When they took out the main sail, the Italians placed a huge red flag on the mast. It has the word “Winner” written on it in white letters.
Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who funded the British team through his company Ineos, praised the Italians aboard his “own” British ship. “Our mission is not over yet. We can learn a lot of racing. Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand have been in the business for 20 or 30 years.” On Sunday afternoon, Ainsley said, “We’ve taken a lot with us and we want to win the Cup,” referring to another campaign for the Brits. .
At this point, the biggest loser in the Prada Cup had already reconciled with the result and was contemplating the post today. The Briton said, “This boat class is a huge success for the America’s Cup, as the AC75 is the best boat I’ve ever sailed and the class has a“ cool factor. ”Starting March 6, the Italians and New Zealanders will meet again on the Hauraki Bay, as they did 20 years ago in the same The Gulf At that time, the Kiwi won, and the world’s oldest sports cup remains in New Zealand.
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