ONE YEAR AGO TODAY: LUNA ROSSA WINS THE UNICREDIT YOUTH AMERICA’S CUP

On September 26, 2024, Luna Rossa’s youth team celebrated their victory in the UniCredit Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona, an event of the 37th America’s Cup reserved for Under-25 sailors. A year later, the echo of that extraordinary result is still alive in the memories of the team and all the fans. The best way to celebrate this anniversary is to retrace the key moments alongside the young sailors who achieved it — and who are still part of the Luna Rossa team today: Marco Gradoni (helmsman), Gianluigi Ugolini (helmsman), Rocco Falcone (trimmer), Federico Colaninno (trimmer), Stefano Dezulian (trimmer), and Guido Gallinaro (helmsman).

The UniCredit Youth America's Cup victory was anything but easy or predictable. The Luna Rossa crew faced off against 11 international teams, each composed of the best young sailing talents in the world, all competing in very challenging weather and sea conditions.

The event began on September 17 and was raced aboard the foiling AC40 One Design monohulls, identical for all teams. It included a qualifying round and semifinals sailed as fleet races, followed by a final match race. After an outstanding opening day, with a first and a second place, the Italian team stayed at the top of the leaderboard through all eight races, earning their place in the semifinals. In the four semifinal races, Luna Rossa delivered its best performance with three second-place finishes and one win, results that propelled them straight into the much-anticipated final against the USA team.

Sailed in 16–20 knots of southerly wind and heavy seas, the final match pushed the AC40 crews to their limits. Taking advantage of a penalty given to the Americans before the start, Luna Rossa gained a 22-second lead at the first mark, a margin that continued to grow throughout the race. Helmsmen Marco Gradoni and Gianluigi Ugolini sailed a simply flawless race, defending and extending their lead with clean, fast maneuvers all the way to victory.