Sports

Oracle Team USA Wins America's Cup

By Bay City News

Wednesday was a day for the sailing history books, with Oracle Team USA winning its eighth straight race in the America's Cup Finals to triumph over challenger Emirates Team New Zealand.

When the 19th race of the finals began at 1:15 p.m., Oracle and New Zealand were tied 8-8. Oracle had trailed by a margin of 8-1 last week, but its surprise winning streak had tied up the regatta and forced today's winner-take-all face-off.

[The cat was right.] 

Either team needed nine points to win the cup. The Oracle team started the finals with a two-point deficit after being penalized for illegal boat modifications during earlier exhibition races. An awards ceremony is planned at America's Cup Park at Piers 27/29 Wednesday afternoon, with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and former mayor and current Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom expected to attend.

As of 11 a.m., the wind was forecast to be stronger than 20 knots at the 1:15 p.m. start time, race officials said. The race would have been postponed or canceled if the wind had reached 24.4 knots, or about 28 mph. There have been only two other neck-and-neck races in the 162-year history of the America's Cup, in 1920 and 1983, according to race officials.


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