Kirwan wings it as cyclor for Luna Rossa
Another Kirwan sporting the No 14 will feature in the Italian challenge against Team New Zealand at this year’s America’s Cup in Barcelona.
Luca, the son of legendary All Blacks wing John Kirwan, has been confirmed as one of Luna Rossa’s cyclors.
The Italians named their “power team” this week ahead of launching their Cup boat next month, with each syndicate soon unveiling the AC75s they will sail along the Spanish coast when racing in the 37th Cup cycle resumes in August.
Luca Kirwan was an elite rower who went as far as earning a place as a reserve in New Zealand’s squad for the 2022 Rowing World Cup in Poland and Switzerland.
However, he has switched to sailing and successfully trialled for the Italian syndicate’s cyclor team.
Luna Rossa introduced each cyclor with a number in a promotional video. Kirwan had 14, the same number his father John famously wore for the All Blacks in all but one of his 63 tests from 1984-94.
The Kirwans are a talented sporting family. As well as John, whose grandfather Jack played rugby league for the Kiwis in the early 20th century, Luca’s brother and sister are sporting internationals.
Niko Kirwan, who plays his club football in Italy’s third tier (Serie C) for Calcio Padova, has represented the All Whites and Francesca has played beach volleyball for New Zealand.
Their mother Fiorella is Italian and met John in his rugby-playing days in Italy. The family also lived there when John was coaching Italy.
Luca has been identified as a power athlete by Luna Rossa and joins their team of cyclors with other elite rowers, such as Romano Battisti, Emanuele Liuzzi, Bruno Rosetti and Cesare Gabbia. There is also Paolo Simion (cycling), Enrico Voltolini (sailing) and Mattia Camboni (windsurfing).
A Cup team’s cyclors is a selection of the strongest, fittest athletes and act as the boat’s power source.
Among Team NZ’s cyclors are rowing great Hamish Bond, who also competed as an elite cyclist, and Dougal Allan, a twotime Coast to Coast winner and one of the country’s most formidable endurance athletes.
The role of the cyclors is essentially to give the Cup boats more power for sailing. Aboard, they pedal furiously as the rest of crew sails.
The cyclors were introduced by Team NZ in 2017, a stunning innovation at the time, and gave them a major advantage ahead of their rivals in regaining the Auld Mug in Bermuda.
Luna Rossa were runners-up to Team NZ in the 2021 America’s Cup in Auckland and are expected to be one of their biggest challengers in Barcelona.
The Italians will have to emerge from the challenger series, which includes Britannia, American Magic, Orient Express and Alinghi, to face Team NZ again in the Cup’s match race in October.