SailGP Cadiz 2023: Unexpected Aussie James Spithill Wins As Tom Slingsby Frustrated Again
At the completion of the Spanish leg of the SailGP series in Cadiz, an Australian was on the winners podium, but it wasn't the one most people were expecting. What transpired, then?
Tom Slingsby has competed in five finals, and none of them have resulted in a victory.
The American crew won the race, while the Australian crew came in third. James Spithill, who was born on one of Sydney's northern beaches, barely half an hour away from Slingsby, was the one who won it for the American side.
Slingsby and his crew had a lot of optimism going into the last day of the race, but they didn't end up doing as well as they had hoped. This was a disappointing but not unexpected result.
"At this point in the competition, I really can't stand to hear people say things like, 'Oh, it's good for the overall points.'" I want to be told, "Job well done; you guys got the win." Slingsby referred to the situation as frustrating.
"I get that it's a wonderful result, but it's five finals in a row that we haven't won, and it's becoming frustrating. I want to become a better sailor.
Slingsby, who is expecting his first child with his wife and has withdrawn from the subsequent round in Dubai since they are getting ready for the birth of their child, may not be able to do it for some time.
After pulling off a remarkable comeback from a terrible event in Taranto, Italy, where flight controller Hans Henken was rushed to the hospital after being knocked unconscious, there was plenty of reason for Spithill and his crew on the US filing catamaran to celebrate. The American F50 had nose dived during the racing, which caused Henken to be knocked unconscious.
After just making it into the final and taking advantage of a mistake made by one of their competitors, Spithill and his crew went on to win the final race, besting Denmark and Australia to take first place in the leg.
We would like to give this victory to Hans as a token of our gratitude. It was such a huge setback for the squad in Italy, and it was a challenging situation to get through, but it motivated us, and it gave us a significant amount of purpose,'' he added.
The Australian exam still leads the overall standings going into the next competition, which will take place in Dubai from December 9-10, despite the fact that they did not win this season.
SAILGP LEADERS BOARD AFTER FIVE EVENT
1 Australia 43 points, 2 Denmark 36 points, 3 United States 32 points, 4 Spain 32 points* 5 Emirates GBR 32 points, 6 New Zealand 30 points**, 7 Canada 24 points, 8 France 24 points,
9 Switzerland 11 points, 10 Germany // 8 points****
AUSSIES CONFIDENT AFTER DAY ONE RACING IN SAILGP CADIZ
Tom Slingsby has spent his entire life winning races, but now that he is an Olympic champion, America's Cup winner, and the leader of the Australian SailGP team, consistency is his best friend. This is something that doesn't always sit well with him.
Slingsby's career as a single-handed laser sailor had periods in which he was so far ahead of the competition that he would win practically every race in a competition.
Consistency has become Slingsby's best friend, despite the fact that it may be very frustrating at times, thanks to their competition in the international SailGP series.
After having yet another day on the water in which they were consistent in Spain early on Sunday, the Australian team surged into the driver's seat to secure their first victory of the fourth season.
Only one of the three races that the Australian team competed in at Cadiz ended with them crossing the finish line in first place, but the results of their fifth and second place finishes in the earlier races were sufficient to give them the lead going into the final day of racing.
It made Slingsby happy, but he was also left feeling a little uneasy about things.
"We would absolutely love to get a win here," Slingsby added. "The consistency has been both extremely difficult and satisfying to deal with at the same time.
"Since I won't be competing in the next tournament in Dubai, this is my final opportunity to add a victory to my record.
"We had a wonderful day today, and we are completely exhausted from the conference."
The first and second races of the day were won by Spain and France, respectively, while Australia raced away with the third event.
"We are currently in first place on the standings. According to Slingsby, who is also a part of the American team competing for the America's Cup, "We have been up there, but we haven't finished in an event yet."
"Today was a really great day, but we would really appreciate it if you could stay a little longer.
"We can only do what we can do, concentrate on sailing better, try to make that final, and then execute in the podium race," said the team's skipper. "We can only do what we can do."
SAIILGP STANDINGS (after four events)
First place goes to Australia with 35 points, followed by Emirates Great Britain with 29, Spain with 29, Denmark with 27, and New Zealand with 23 points. 6th place: United States of America with 22 points, 7th place: France with 20 points, 8th place: Canada with 18 points; Switzerland gets 10 points for the round. 10 points for Germany, 6 for Germany
The New Zealand SailGP Team was awarded six points for the Italy Sail GP Taranto despite the fact that they were unable to compete due to damage sustained at the France SailGP.