Emirates Team New Zealand has moved closer to securing the America’s Cup after increasing their lead over Ineos Britannia to 4-0.
The trophy will be awarded to the first yacht to achieve seven victories. The Kiwis are now just three wins away, while the British team faces a significant challenge to catch up. New Zealand’s “Taihoro” secured their fourth consecutive win along the Barcelona beachfront, defeating Britannia by 23 seconds.
The race saw both boats swapping leads during the initial leg, but the Kiwis gradually took control and finished over 350 meters ahead. “It’s great to keep progressing,” said New Zealand skipper Peter Burling. “It feels like we’re improving as a team with each race, and we’re eager to continue pushing forward.”
New Zealand is aiming to win the Auld Mug, the oldest trophy in international sports, for the third consecutive time and the fifth time overall. The British, who have never won the trophy in its 173-year history, are competing in their first final in six decades. They have until Tuesday to strategize their comeback before racing resumes on Wednesday.
“It’s a good chance to spend a day analyzing and figuring out how we can improve,” said Britannia skipper Ben Ainslie. “They’re clearly performing very well. We have our moments, but there are still instances where we lose ground, and that’s the difference. They’ve had a strong start, but we can still turn this around.”
