Skipper 'speechless' after Italy lift women's Cup

Italy beat Britain on Oct 12 to clinch the first Women's America's Cup, which sailors hope will help bridge the experience gap at the male-dominated top end of the sport.

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There were huge celebrations among the Italian team of four after they crossed the line in their AC40 foiling monohull, with an eight-second win over the British, who had pursued them to the finish line in a tight 18-minute race.

“Speechless, it's just an immense joy really,” Italy's skipper Giulia Conti said, when asked how she felt on the America's Cup live broadcast, adding: “the cohesion of the team is just so unique”, raising both arms with joy.

The Italian and British flags flew proudly from cranes high above their respective team bases as the inaugural America's Cup final for women unfolded between the top two teams of 12.

“We always knew the Italians were going to be really strong, they sailed the boat really well,” Britain's skipper Hannah Mills told Reuters when back ashore, adding that her crew were “gutted” not to have pulled off a win.