Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Tuesday 27 June 2017
Team New Zealand routs Oracle Team USA to win America’s Cup

By BERNIE WILSON wis today with what’s been
AP Sports Writer achieved over the past
Eds: Updates with addition- few years.”
al details and quotes. With Thousands of sleepy New
AP Photos. With BC-SAI-- Zealanders got up at 5
America’s Cup Reaction. a.m. to watch the race on
HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) television.
— Redemption for a gutty “It’s David and Goliath.
crew of five New Zealand- We beat the biggest and
ers and one Australian the best in the world, so
came on the turquoise that’s just fabulous,” said
waters of Bermuda’s Great Roger Foley, who watched
Sound, four years and 3,000 with dozens of others at
miles removed from one of the Royal Port Nicholson
the most brutal collapses in Yacht Club in the capital,
sports. Wellington.
With a mixture of ingenuity Many felt relief as well as
and national pride, Emir- elation after the heart-
ates Team New Zealand break of the 2013 cam-
got back up after taking paign.
a gut punch for the ages, The nation’s Prime Minister,
came to the Bermuda Bill English, posted a short
Triangle and ripped the video of himself celebrat-
America’s Cup right out of ing at home: “We are so
tech tycoon Larry Ellison’s proud of you,” he wrote on
hands. Twitter.
“We’re on top of the The Kiwis’ fast boat was
world,” helmsman Peter The crew of Emirates Team New Zealand spray champagne as they celebrate after defeating powered by a revolution-
Burling said Monday after Oracle Team USA to win the America’s Cup sailing competition Monday, June 26, 2017, in Ham- ary grinding system in
steering the Kiwis’ incredi- ilton, Bermuda. which they replaced tradi-
bly fast 50-foot foiling cata- Associated Press tional arm power with leg
maran to the clinching vic- power. They installed four
tory in the 7-1 rout of two- There were no Americans Zealand to a five-race ning eight straight races to stationary bikes in each
time defending champion on Oracle Team USA’s sweep of Dennis Conner retain the Auld Mug. hull, with the “cyclors”
Oracle Team USA. crew, which included five off San Diego in 1995. Ashby is the only member powering the hydraulic sys-
As soon as the red-and- Australians and one from Team New Zealand started of the sailing crew who re- tems used to trim the wing-
black Kiwi cat crossed Antigua. this match with a negative turned from that collapse. sail and control the dag-
the finish line, the normal- Ellison, the Silicon Valley point because Oracle won “It was absolutely brutal for gerboards that are tipped
ly reserved crew began maverick worth an esti- the qualifiers, forcing the the team. It was a hard pill with hydrofoils.
whooping and jumped mated $62 billion, watched Kiwis to win eight races to to swallow,” Ashby said. Among the crew was Si-
up onto the trampoline the humbling defeat from return the Auld Mug to the “For myself and a lot of the mon van Velthooven, who
netting and into a joyful a chase boat and later Royal New Zealand Yacht other guys that are with the won a bronze medal in
group hug. Magnums of shook hands with his crew. Squadron in Auckland for team this time around, it is a track cycling at the Lon-
champagne arrived and He was joined by New Zea- the first time since 2003. great redemption and just don Olympics.
Burling and crewman Blair lander Russell Coutts, the It was sweet atonement a relief to right the wrongs The underfunded Kiwis
Tuke, who won Olympic CEO of Oracle Team USA for the Kiwis. In 2013 on San of the last campaign. We trained in Auckland —
gold and silver medals to- who suffered his first defeat Francisco Bay, Team New obviously learned a lot shadowed by Oracle spy
gether, sprayed the crew. in six America’s Cup finals. Zealand, then led by Dean from that campaign. boats — until arriving in
The crew enjoyed beers It was Coutts who first won Barker, reached match “For all the guys involved, Bermuda in late April. They
together before going the America’s Cup for the point at 8-1. Oracle then I think there will be a lot of bounced back from a
ashore. About an hour lat- small sailing-mad island na- staged one of the biggest proud yachties from New capsize in the challenger
er, with the America’s Cup tion, skippering Team New comebacks in sports, win- Zealand, a lot of proud Ki- semifinals. q
set on a podium, Burling
and Glenn Ashby grabbed
it together and lifted it over So Yeon Ryu becomes No. 1 in women’s golf
their heads. As the silver
trophy was passed around,
some team members ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Two- Lydia Ko.
poured champagne into it time major champion So Ryu won for the second
and took swigs. Yeon Ryu has a new title — time this year on the LPGA
At 26, Burling becomes the No. 1 in the world. Tour, adding to her title in
youngest helmsman to win Ryu became the third play- the first major at the ANA
sailing’s greatest prize in a er this year to rise to No. 1 in Inspiration when she beat
competition that dates to the Rolex Women’s World Lexi Thompson in a play-
1851. Golf Ranking with her vic- off. Ryu also won the U.S.
The only non-Kiwi on the tory in the Walmart NW Women’s Open in 2011 for
crew is Ashby, a 39-year- Arkansas Championship. her first victory on Ameri-
old Australian, multihull wiz The 26-year-old from South can soil.
and Olympic silver medal- Korea replaces Ariya Juta- She is the third South Ko- So Yeon Ryu, from South Korea, holds up her trophy for photog-
ist who serves as skipper nugarn, who held the top rean native to be No. 1, raphers after winning the LPGA Wal-Mart NW Arkansas Champi-
and controls the space- ranking for two weeks. joining Inbee Park and Jiyai onship golf tournament at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark.,
Sunday, June 25, 2017.
age wingsail with an Xbox- Jutanugarn had replaced Shin.q Associated Press
like device.