Diego Botin skippers young Spanish crew to 1st SailGP win over more experienced rivals
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
Diego Botin barely made it into the podium race and then skippered Spain to its first SailGP victory, beating Nicolai Sehested of Rockwool Denmark and three-time defending champion Tom Slingsby of Team Australia in the Oracle Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix. The breakthrough victory for the young Spanish crew came in light, puffy winds on the Port of Los Angeles’ Outer Harbor in the Southern California debut of tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s global league. Botin was the first to get his 50-foot catamaran up on its foils just after the start in the tricky conditions and sailed off to a lead of almost 500 meters.