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Staging a massive comeback from deep in the standings,
New Zealander Russell Coutts, the record-setting
America’s Cup skipper, won the third annual Toscana
Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman.
The skipper of America’s Cup champion Alinghi Team,
defeated Australian Peter Gilmour 2-1 to claim the
fifth event on the 2003-’04 Swedish Match Tour.
At the end of racing on Thursday, May 6, Coutts
was last in the field of 12 crews with a 1-5 record.
After sailing 22 races, the maximum number possible,
he has become the champion and won €35,000.
Although Gilmour lost, he still won €25,000
for second place and has the Swedish Match Tour
Championship Leaderboard in a stranglehold. He added
20 points to his scoreline. With a total of 97 points,
he is 48 points ahead of second-placed Magnus Holmberg
with three events remaining.
By winning, Coutts added 25 points to his total
and leaped to fifth on the leaderboard from a tie
for 13th.
The conditions for the final were as glorious as
yesterday, when the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds
were raced. The winds were out of the east/southeast
between 8 and 12 knots.
Earlier in the day, Coutts defeated New Zealander
Gavin Brady of the Oracle BMW Racing Team, 3-2,
in the semifinal. Brady led Coutts 2-1 coming into
today after yesterday’s racing, but Coutts won today’s
two matches to advance.
The Oracle BMW Racing team gained redemption in
the Petit Final when they defeated Poland’s Karol
Jablonski and the Toscana Challenge team 2-0.
The next event on the Swedish Match Tour is the
ACI HT Mobile Cup, May 24-29, in Split, Croatia.
Day 7 Results
Final : Russell Coutts def. Peter Gilmour - Gilmour
def. Coutts - Coutts def. Gilmour
Petit Final : Gavin Brady def. Karol Jablonski -
Brady def. Jablonski
Semifinal (match 4 and 5) : Russell Coutts def.
Gavin Brady - Coutts def. Gavin Brady
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