Choke jokes buffet Team New Zealand after US ‘miracle’

DESPONDENT New Zealanders confronted the dreaded “choker” tag yesterday after losing the America’s Cup to one of sport’s most stunning comebacks.

“Choke on this New Zealand” was the blunt advice on the country’s most popular news website, stuff.co.nz, after Emirates Team New Zealand lost the regatta 8-9 to Oracle Team USA, despite leading 8-1 last week.

“It has been labelled the greatest comeback in the history of sport and it’s hard to disagree,” the Fairfax Media site said.

Prime Minister John Key tweeted a single word — “Bugger” — later describing the loss as “gutwrenching”. “I think there will be an awful lot of New Zealanders who’ll be sitting there with their heads in their hands,” he said.

The final race played out early morning New Zealand time and thousands gathered at bars and sailing clubs hoping for one last victory against the resurgent Americans. But Philip Gaunt, who watched the entire marathon regatta at Wellington’s Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, admitted he started the day with little optimism after Oracle relentlessly hacked away at the New Zealanders’ lead for more than a week.

“If you’re realistic it wasn’t a surprise, but I’m disappointed that we got so close before losing,” Gaunt said.

Yacht club patrons clapped politely as Oracle came in first and gave Team New Zealand a standing ovation when they crossed the line 44 seconds later.

The defeat was all the more galling for New Zealanders because Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill hails from Australia, with media across the Tasman Sea rubbing salt into the wound.

The Sydney Morning Herald hailed Spithill as “the Aussie who sank a nation”, while Melbourne’s Herald Sun said “Aussies win miracle Cup for Yanks”.

Meanwhile, The Guardian credited Oracle’s British tactician Ben Ainsley with turning around the yacht’s faltering campaign and pointed out that the winning team’s multinational crew contained only two Americans.

New Zealand’s Radio Sports host Mark Richardson said Kiwi fans became emotionally involved as the battle for sailing’s top prize dragged on, and would need time to get over the loss.

“We had our chances to win this thing, it was 8-1 … (Oracle) came back from the dead, they improved their boat,” he said. “Did we choke? Did they beat us? I think it’s a little bit of both.”

Aucklander Trudie McConnochie said Team New Zealand should not be forced to wear one of sport’s most unwanted labels.

“Everybody is using the word ‘choke’ but I think that’s unfair. We lost to a better, faster team,” she tweeted.

The government contributed NZ$36m ($30m) to Team New Zealand’s campaign and Key said after the loss that there was no guarantee it would spend a similar amount for a future cup tilt.

Wellington sailing expert Matt Wood said the sporting public should not blame Team New Zealand for the loss, saying they gave an error-free performance.

“It was decided on the technology behind the yachts,” he said. “We were outresourced. It was a massive achievement to get where we did.”

TV1 commentator Peter Lester believed the resources software billionaire Larry Ellison gave the Americans were decisive, saying he poured everything into improving Oracle after the New Zealanders dominated the early races. “The boss’s toys have won the day,” he said in commentary criticised on Twitter.