Askume Sep 19 – Italy will face Great Britain in the America’s Cup Challenge Series final, having bounced back from defeat with a stunning win over their semi-final rivals the United States on Thursday.
Italy beat the United States 5-3 in the first of five games of the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals on Wednesday after Great Britain ended Switzerland’s challenge in Barcelona .
Great Britain defeated Switzerland in the semi-finals of the America’s Cup Challenge Series on Wednesday to book their place in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final starting on September 26.
The winner will compete with America’s Cup defending champion Team New Zealand for the coveted “Auld Mug” trophy, which dates back to 1851 and is the oldest international sports trophy.
There were celebrations on the water and on the shore after the Italian team reached the final, with co-driver Francesco Bruni raising his fist on the stylish silver Italian AC75 after crossing the finish line.
The Italian navigation track – a crucial part of its mission to tow the monohull rig – suffered serious damage on Wednesday, requiring an overnight effort to repair it.
“We are a very strong team and we all deserved the win … it was not an easy night in the shed,” Bruni said after the match on America’s Cup Live, referring to the ship’s huge hangar parking lot.
His co-skipper, Jimmy Spithill, dedicated the win – which he described as “a hell of a fight” – to the Italian shipbuilders.
“This win really belongs to our Coastal team,” he said, adding that when he went into the team shed it felt like a herd of corpses roaming around.
US team co-driver Paul Goodison fell from the hatch and broke five ribs, once again shattering the US team’s America’s Cup dream.
“Congratulations to the great team for their win,” said Team USA co-coach Tom Slingsby. “We know we have a tough battle ahead of us and we need to keep our heads up high.”
