Regatta: One million dollars in prize money: Slingsby wins the SailGP

The prize money is unique in sailing: Australia's Olympic Laser champion and America's Cup winner Tom Slingsby and his team Australia SailGP scooped one million US dollars in prize money at the final of the SailGP 2019 on Sunday. In the final and all-important thrilling duel, the top crew of the year prevailed against their Japanese rivals and Slingsby's friend Nathan Outteridge. The triumph brought the first season of the professional series created by Sir Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison to an expected conclusion. Slingsby's team dominated the SailGP for long stretches on converted former Cup catamarans.

One million US dollars in prize money will be decided here

"It feels great," said Tom Slingsby after the final. "We deserved this win and I'm so happy for the whole team because everyone worked so hard for it. I feel sorry for Nathan and his team. They've put so much effort into the series all year. Now it is what it is. One team has to win, one has to lose." The final race analysis of the showdown between the two best teams of the year showed that in the end 78 centimetres in a decisive race situation were the deciding factor between victory and defeat and ultimately over a million US dollars in prize money.

If the Australians had been even five hundredths of a second slower in this situation, according to the analysis, Nathan Outteridge's Japanese team could have given them a penalty. However, the risky manoeuvre by the Japanese, which was intended to throw the Australians off course, meant that Slingsby's team was able to take the lead after an initially botched start and win the only decisive duel for the million-euro prize. It wasn't a walk in the park, as the Australians had already conceded a penalty in the pre-start phase because they sailed into the starting box too early. It was their luck that the Japanese opened the door to a comeback.

"We made a mistake," Outteridge admitted. The 2012 Olympic 49er champion and his team had dominated the showdown before the decisive situation arose. "You can't win everything, and every winner has a loser. We knew that someone would go home unhappy here today; it's a shame that it's us. But that's sport and we'll now prepare for next season."

After regattas in Sydney, San Francisco and Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the first SailGP came to an end this weekend in France. There were small happy endings for the Chinese team led by New Zealand match race world champion and helmsman Phil Robertson, who won their first race and catapulted themselves into third place in the final season standings, and for the host French team led by multiple Nacra 17 world champion Billy Besson, who took their first victory in the last race of the year. The script for the finale of the inaugural season could hardly have been written much better.

According to the organisers, around 115,000 spectators watched the 2019 races at the respective venues. SailGP father Sir Russell Coutts said: "We have presented our sport in a redefined way. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together this season. We have proven that there is a place for sailing among the top professional sports leagues in the world." Alongside enthusiasm for the fast-paced catamaran sport with some of the best sailors in the world, there had also been criticism of the new format because the inaugural season had been rather one-sided due to Australian dominance. Fans are not the only ones hoping that more teams will be able to compete on an equal footing in the 2020 season and create more excitement.

SailGP - Final standings 2019 season

1. Australia, 229 points
2. Japan, 223 points
3. China, 171 points
4. Great Britain, 169 points
5. France, 164 points
6. USA, 163 points