Emirates Team New Zealand defeated Sweden’s Artemis Racing 5-2 at Bermuda yesterday to win the right to challenge Team Oracle USA in the 35th America’s Cup.

In some spectacular racing, including 31-year-old Artemis Racing skipper Nathan Outteridge falling into the water while crossing the boat in the third race on Saturday, leading to Artemis eventually retiring, and with NZ winning by just one second on the sixth race on Sunday after dipping their bow in the water, 26 year old Peter Burling helming his Kiwi crew to success with some flawless racing using their innovative cycle-powered trimming system.

The  pedal power system had been greeted with derision when the kiwis unveiled it in Bermuda but when the Americans saw that it gave a potential 40 per cent boost to the Kiwis’ grinding power they adopted it alongside their existing systems as well.

Monday’s first race had been abandoned as the wind dropped, causing a two-hour delay. When it resumed, New Zealand, leading 4-2, comfortably won by 56 seconds to win the best-of-nine America’s Cup challenger play-offs final.

New Zealand also faced the USA in 2013 when from an 8 to 1 lead in the races in San Francisco, and needing just one more point to win the Cup, they were beaten 9-8 after Britain’s Ben Ainslie joined the American team.

The nail biting racing back then led to a brave British challenge, which was seen off last week when Ben Ainslie’s BAR boat was beaten by New Zealand in a 5-2 semi-final win.

The winner of the cup will be the first to seven points, with a possible 13 races to be sailed on 17-18 and 24-27 June.

Will it ever change?

Our picture shows John Bull gazing at America’s Cup, also known as the 100 guinea cup, in 1895 after the Earl of Dunranven’s Royal Yacht Squadron Syndicate challenger Valkyrie III was decisively beaten 3-nil by William K Vanderbilt’s Defender, for the New York Yacht Club, at New York. It’s from a Puck magazine cover.

The America’s Cup is described as the oldest competition in international sport, and was first raced for in 1851 around the Isle of Wight when it was won by the NYYC’s schooner America. It has been won by only four nations; America defended it successfully until 1983 when it was won by Australia with Australia II. It went back to the States the following year. Then New Zealand won it in 1995 and held it until 2003 when Alinghi won it for Switzerland – holding it until 2010 when the US won it back with BMW Oracle Racing.