DHAKA: Sir Ben Ainslie spoke of his delight after masterminding one of the greatest sporting comebacks when he guided Oracle Team USA to victory in the 34th America`s Cup in San Francisco Bay on Wednesday night.

The American team looked to be out of the contest having been docked two penalty points, meaning they were 8-1 down last week despite having won three races.

But the addition of the four-time Olympic champion, knighted recently for ruling the waves , as a tactician breathed new life into their challenge and inspired them to record an amazing 9-8 success over Emirates Team New Zealand with a sensational victory in the deciding race.

"We never stopped believing we could improve and get back into the competition," Ainslie told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It got harder and harder for us, but ultimately we hung on in there and won that deciding race, so the team did an incredible job.

"We just grew and grew and in the end we were too strong for the Kiwis.

"I grew up down in Falmouth in Cornwall, we had an America`s Cup team down there in 1987 and I remember as a kid watching them training and preparing and thinking about maybe one day being involved with the America`s Cup.

"To be part of a winning America`s Cup team is for me personally part of a lifelong dream," he added.

Source: Mirror

BDST: 2040 HRS, SEP 26, 2013
GR