Oracle Team USA successful defended the America's Cup after pulling off the most remarkable comeback in sailing history on San Francisco Bay.
With Emirates Team New Zealand on match-point at 8-1, Jimmy Spithill and his crew racked up eight consecutive victories to keep the Auld Mug on American shores. Oracle's comeback was a feat of epic proportions. It was indeed an intriguing story worth of a Hollywood remake. In short, Oracle Team USA's victory has become the crowning glory of sailing which will be remembered for a long time.
Then again, not everyone is quite as convinced about the latest America's Cup victory by the 'Americans.' One of those is veteran sports writer Michael Solomon.
In his latest article on the Guardian, Solomon openly questioned Oracle's triumph, considering that there were only two pure-blooded Americans (John Kostecki and Rome Kirby) on the winning boat's 11-man crew.
Oracle's skipper Jimmy Spithill, who showed incredible determination to overcome all kinds of odds, is an Aussie while master tactician Ben Ainslie is Great Britain's greatest contribution in the sport of sailing.
Solomon went on to question the change of sailboats from simple hull yachts to cutting-edge wing-sail catamarans and the lack of attention it received from the American media.
"Nor do competitors race single hull yachts anymore-or as they used to be known, sailboats. Today, it's all about high-tech wing-sail catamarans that look like something Kevin Costner might have upgraded to in a Waterworld sequel. The new billboards boats reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour-and have been known to capsize," Solomon stated in his article.
"Beyond that, how much jingoistic loyalty can you expect when Team USA only has two Americans on its 11-man crew? And winning skipper Jimmy Spithill isn't one of them - he's from Australia. And a Brit, Ben Ainslie, is credited with the tactics turnaround," he added.
Solomon admitted that Oracle Team USA's comeback is one of the best of all time, perhaps beyond the sport of sailing. In fact, he even compared it to the Boston Red Sox's epic comeback against the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship.
"By completing the seemingly impossible sweep, Oracle now takes its place alongside the greatest comeback teams of all time, such as the Boston Red Sox winning four consecutive games to defeat the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship after losing the first three of the seven-game series," the writer said.
To relive Oracle Team USA's epic win, here are the highlights of Race 17, 18 and 19 of the America's Cup
America's Cup 2013 Highlights - Team Oracle USA vs. Emirates Team New Zealand