Ben Ainslie and Great Britain finally end unwanted America's Cup record after 60 years

Four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie skippered Ineos Britannia to triumph implicit Italy successful the first-to-seven Louis Vuitton Cup, anointing them arsenic authoritative challenges to Emirates Team New Zealand

Great Britain secured a spot successful the America’s Cup for the archetypal clip successful 60 years arsenic four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie skippered Ineos Britannia to triumph implicit Italy.

Heading into Friday with a 6-4 pb successful the first-to-seven Louis Vuitton Cup series, Ineos Britannia needed to triumph conscionable 1 of the 2 scheduled races disconnected the Barcelona seashore to beryllium anointed authoritative challengers to Emirates Team New Zealand.

Ineos Britannia built connected a accelerated commencement to unfastened up a 150-metre pb implicit Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli vessel aft the archetypal limb of eight. The Italians fought backmost implicit the 5th leg, closing to wrong 30 metres, but Ineos Britannia swiftly re-established their vantage to velocity wide and decorativeness arsenic comfy winners by 300m.

It was occurrence astatine the 3rd effort for Ainslie’s unit and ends a hold stretching backmost to 1964, arsenic Ineos Britannia spell connected to look New Zealand successful the last implicit different best-of-seven bid from October 12 to 21.

In 1964, a squad led by Peter Scott overcame a 2nd British yacht, Kurrewa, to attain challenger status, but were past routed 4-0 by America’s ascendant New York Yacht Club.

Britain celebrated its archetypal and lone America’s Cup triumph successful the inaugural regatta successful 1851, erstwhile the Royal Yacht Squadron won a fleet contention astir the Isle of Wight. While Britain duly provided the challenger for 16 of the 18 consequent races betwixt 1870 and 1964, the crews were unsuccessful connected each occasion. The New York Yacht Club reeled disconnected a bid of 25 consecutive wins until the Americans were yet deposed by Australia successful Fremantle successful 1987.

“It is simply a monolithic time for our squad and I can’t accidental however arrogant I americium of everyone, not conscionable present connected the h2o but besides backmost connected the enactment successful Barcelona and a batch of radical backmost successful Brackley successful the UK helping america connected the method side,” Ainslie said successful his post-race interrogation connected the America’s Cup YouTube channel.

“So this is for the team, it was monolithic effort to get america present and is simply a monolithic infinitesimal for each of them. We started this squad 10 years ago, Britain wasn’t successful the America’s Cup, it took a batch of radical to travel successful and enactment the squad financially, of people Jim (Ratcliffe) and his squad astatine Ineos.

“So it is different immense convey you to each the supporters of British Sailing and Britain’s America’s Cup (team) implicit the years, this infinitesimal is for you.”

Britannia had beaten Swiss squad Alinghi 5-2 successful the semi-finals to gain different ace astatine reaching the America’s Cup. Ineos president Sir Jim Ratcliffe was successful Barcelona for the races, and joined the celebrations with the crew.

Ainslie added: “There is simply a batch of pressure, these immense organisations person made a batch of concern of clip and money, and you privation to marque it right, to marque it count, I americium conscionable truthful delighted for the full team.

“But besides I privation to springiness a outcry retired to Luna Rossa, they are an astonishing squad with an astonishing past successful the cup. They are unthinkable opponents and we expect this wont beryllium the past clip we person a large combat against those boys.”

Looking up to the races against New Zealand, Ainslie added connected BBC Sport: “We cognize the Kiwis are a immense challenge, they are the All Blacks of sailing.

“But we person been pushed incredibly hard by Luna Rossa, they are a people act, and we said earlier whichever squad gets done to this last they are going to beryllium conflict hardened and tin springiness the Kiwis a truly bully run.”

Ratcliffe hopes Britannia’s efforts successful Barcelona volition assistance seizure the imaginativeness backmost home.

“It’s 60 years since we’ve been successful this place. They sailed a faultless contention today,” Ratcliffe told BBC Sport. “This is close up determination really. It’s not followed by the wide public, but I deliberation successful the UK present it’ll prime up momentum, and it should bash due to the fact that it’s the oldest planetary trophy successful the world and the lone 1 we haven’t won.”