ORACLE TEAM USA win the 34th America's Cup
by Mark Jardine 25 Sep 2013 22:49 BST
25 September 2013
What will probably be looked back on as the greatest comeback in sporting history has happened. ORACLE TEAM USA have come back from the very brink of defeat at 8-1 down to Emirates Team New Zealand and successfully defended the 34th America's Cup.
The American team were all but out of the cup and written off by everyone... apart from ORACLE TEAM USA helmsman Jimmy Spithill who never sounded like anything but victory was in his mind. Everyone thought he was crazy.
They replaced tactician John Kostecki with Sir Ben Ainslie and race by race they clawed their way back into the contest to leave the scores even going in the decider on Big Wednesday.
Emirates Team New Zealand did everything right in the decider. They won the start, they matched ORACLE TEAM USA gybe for gybe down the run and led round the leeward mark. It was sheer speed upwind by the Americans, not just fast but ballistic 30+ knot speeds upwind. The Kiwis had improved their upwind speed by 30% over their Louis Vuitton Cup races, but it just wasn't enough to fend off the resurgent American team.
The 34th America's Cup has been a spectacle unprecedented in the world of sailing and has a story that Hollywood must already be salivating over.
Huge congratulations to all in both the ORACLE TEAM USA and Emirates Team New Zealand – you've provided us with an amazing experience!
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