Los Gallos, the Spain SailGP Team, once again proves its worth even in the most chaotic races. Diego Botín’s team, which arrived in Germany on the heels of two consecutive victories in Halifax and Portsmouth, was unable to secure the dream three-peat, but still made it onto the podium at the Sassnitz Grand Prix after a nail-biting day of racing. And what’s even better: they’re heading home to Valencia in second place overall, just a stone’s throw behind an Australia team that remains unbeatable.
It wasn’t an easy weekend for them. The new group structure forced them to give it their all from the very first race, and Los Gallos started Saturday with 7 points, in third place in their group, behind New Zealand and France. But when the wind is in Botín’s team’s favor, you can never count them out. On Sunday, in the fourth race, a poor start left them trailing behind, but their comeback was nothing short of epic: they climbed to third place and, in the end, crossed the finish line in second, closing the points gap with France and keeping their path to the final open. In the fifth and final race before the grand final, the Spaniards nailed the start, took the lead, and didn’t give anyone a chance. France, which was fighting for that spot, suffered a flat tire and was eliminated. Les Bleus advanced to the final.
And in the final, amid fog and treacherous winds in Sassnitz, Australia was unstoppable. Tom Slingsby and his team got off to a perfect start and sailed to victory. Spain, Canada, and New Zealand battled it out for the remaining podium spots at the final mark in near-calm conditions, with the outcome decided by mere centimeters. In the end, third place went to the Spanish team, who secured their podium finish thanks, in part, to a penalty imposed on the New Zealanders.
That said, the rewards are significant. With this bronze medal, Los Gallos have 62 points and remain in second place overall, 14 points behind Australia and ahead of Sweden. And the best is yet to come: on September 5 and 6, SailGP comes to Valencia. It’s a home race, with the crowd cheering them on and a chance to take the lead. The team is feeling very confident heading into the event.
