BARCELONA: Italy beat Britain to win the first Women’s America’s Cup on Saturday in a tightly-fought finale to the event, which competitors and organisers hope will help bridge the experience gap at the male-dominated top of the sport.
There were huge celebrations among the Italian team of four after they crossed the line in their AC40 foiling monohull, with an eight second win over the British in the 18 minute race.
“Speechless, it’s just an immense joy really,” Italy’s skipper Giulia Conti said on the America’s Cup live broadcast.
“The cohesion of the team is just so unique,” she added, raising both arms in the air with joy.
The Italian and British flags flew proudly from cranes high above their respective team bases as the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup final between the top two teams of 12 unfolded.
“We always knew the Italians were going to be really strong, they sailed the boat really well,” Britain’s skipper Hannah Mills told Reuters when back ashore, adding that her crew were “gutted” not to have pulled off a win.
