Helmsmen Peter Burling and James Spithill have done their best to explain the inexplicable: the bizarre eighth race of the 36th America’s Cup Match, in which Team New Zealand yesterday came from more than four minutes behind to beat Italy’s Luna Rossa and take a 5-3 lead in the series.
Team New Zealand demonstrated a clear boat speed advantage to achieve the first pass of the match in the seventh race, overtaking after losing the start to win by 58 seconds.
However, the lasting talking point of the series would be the eighth race, when Team New Zealand went from four minutes behind to more than four minutes in front.
Photo: Reuters
A light and shifting breeze turned the eighth race into something unprecedented in the Cup’s 170-year history.
First, Team New Zealand dropped off its foils after jibing in Luna Rossa’s wind shadow and the Italian team sailed away to a massive advantage. Then Luna Rossa sailed into a wind hole at the top of the course, came to a halt and Team New Zealand, foiling again, sailed past it and went on to win by 3 minutes, 55 seconds.
The day was a major blow to Italy’s chances of winning the America’s Cup for the first time. After first experiencing Team New Zealand’s speed advantage in a moderate breeze, it lost its chance to keep the series level in a frail breeze and on a race course full of wind holes.
Team New Zealand needs two more victories to claim the first-to-seven-wins series.
Luna Rossa’s Australian-born helmsman Spithill said the Italian team was not demoralized.
“I don’t view today as a lost opportunity. The way I view it, you’re either winning or you’re learning,” Spithill said. “So I think we learned a lot today, and that’s going to help us a lot as a team and it’s going to help us win races.”
“I can tell you right now, there’s no one at the base curled up in the corner crying it out. No one’s going to throw the towel in,” he said.
“We have to tip our hats to New Zealand for sailing two good races, but for us it’s not over. We’re not at the trophy presentation yet,” he added.
Team New Zealand had given Luna Rossa a good chance to level the series in the eighth race, but rallied “on a pretty tense day for us,” Burling said.
“We really needed a mistake from the Luna Rossa guys,” he said. “We didn’t really think it was going to happen, but our luck was good.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
RSS