Team New Zealand has retained the America’s Cup, beating Italian challenger Luna Rossa 7-3 in the 36th match for sailing’s oldest trophy.
The defender came into the sixth day of racing Wednesday at match point, with a 6-3 lead in the best-of-13 race series. It won the 10th race by 46 seconds in a shifty north-easterly breeze to complete its defense of the famous Auld Mug.
Team New Zealand crossed the finish line just after 5 p.m. local time in Auckland to a cacophony of horns and sirens from more than 1,000 spectator boats and the cheers of tens of thousands of fans who watched from vantage points ashore in COVID-free New Zealand.