Ben Ainslie determined to come back stronger with INEOS Britannia after America's Cup defeat - 'We're getting closer'
Published 20/10/2024 at 15:12 GMT+1
Ineos Britannia came close to making history in Barcelona but eventually came up short in a 7-2 defeat to America's Cup defending champions Emirates Team New Zealand. Ben Ainslie's aspirations of guiding his team to a first ever success in the oldest sporting competition have been put on hold, but he outlined his determination to fight back from the disappointment.
Highlights: New Zealand retain America’s Cup with victory over Great Britain
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ben Ainslie insisted Ineos Britannia are "getting closer" to their target of America's Cup glory, despite a 7-2 defeat to defending champions Emirates Team New Zealand in Barcelona.
The Kiwis won a delayed Race 9 on Saturday to retain the Auld Mug, which they have held since 2017.
Ainslie, while acknowledging the disappointment of losing, spoke optimistically about the future and thanked his team's supporters.
“We can't say enough about the support we've had here and back over in the UK, it has been unbelievable," he said. "I've never experienced anything like it and it has made a huge difference to the team, a great motivator and a great driver.
"As for the future of the team, we set out to win the Cup, we got close and we’re getting closer every time.
"To my mind when you set out to achieve a target, you’ve got to get there so we continue, we keep going and keep taking this organisation forward. Every time we do it we get more efficient, we learn more about the technical approaches, we learn more from our competitors, and I think we've got a great group of people and we can take it to the next level."
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‘The three-peat is complete’ – New Zealand beat Great Britain to retain America’s Cup
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ainslie was quick to congratulate New Zealand, who secured victory with four races to spare and continue to set the standard.
“Mixed emotions of course, first of all I’ve got to say credit to Emirates Team New Zealand, an amazing achievement for that organisation and for our team to get into the America's Cup itself was a huge achievement and we've been on quite a journey for the last 10 years, and especially the last three years," he said.
Ineos Britannia will likely take encouragement from their significant progress as they look to challenge again in the future.
Emirates Team New Zealand's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Shoebridge, was impressed by the challengers' efforts in Catalonia.
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“We have got a really close relationship with Ben and his team," he said. "They are great competitors, had a great boat and it has been fantastic to have them in the competition.
"We just got the better of them this time, but it wasn't easy – it was tough. So great respect to them for their campaign.
"I'm just so thrilled that it played out like it did today. It's been a tough couple of months, today made it all worth it. It has been a fantastic team effort from day one and I think that was shown in the way we performed today."
New Zealand skipper Peter Burling, meanwhile, added: “All credit to Ben and Ineos Britannia, I think they put together an incredible challenge, they pushed us the whole way, obviously we got a good jump on the leaderboard but every race felt like a real battle and they were amazing challengers."
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