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Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli won the first-ever Women’s America’s Cup after beating Britain’s Athena Pathway on Saturday.
Luna Rossa led from the start and won the six-leg match race off the Barcelona beachfront eight seconds ahead of the British boat.
“Speechless, it’s just an immense joy really,” Italy’s skipper Giulia Conti said on the America’s Cup live broadcast, adding, “The cohesion of the team is just so unique.”
America’s Cup organizers said they launched this all-women competition as a platform to get more women into the elite sailing event. Women have sailed in previous America’s Cups, but none are on the crews of this edition of the 173-year-old regatta.
“We demonstrated that we are very good sailors, that we can do what we want with these kind of boats.” Luna Rossa helmswoman Margherita Porro said. “And I think we sent a good message to the world of sailing. So what comes next? I don’t know. But I think this is a big step not only for us, but for every girl that was out there with us.”
Said Britain’s skipper Hannah Mills: “I’m sure this is just the start. For the young girls out there watching, this is happening and it’s going to be your turn next.”
The event included 12 teams, six sponsored by the America’s Cup teams and another six teams that were invited.
The teams sailed AC40 foiling boats, which were also used in the youth competition, that seat four sailors compared to the larger AC75 boats with eight crewmembers used in the America’s Cup.
Trimmer Maria Giubilei said their performance should boost the chances of women getting back on the major America’s Cup boats.
“I think that would be a good thing, especially because I really want to go on the Luna Rossa boat one day,” she said. “I think it would be great for women at some point if there was not a race just for us but we were mixed in with all the other sailors.”
Luna Rossa also won the youth competition. Its America’s Cup boat was eliminated in the Louis Vuitton challengers’ final series.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.