Sailing-Ruthless Ainslie ends 60-year wait for British tilt at America's Cup

BARCELONA : After years of dreaming and 10 years of trying, Britain's Ben Ainslie has achieved his aim of challenging for the America's Cup, billed as the oldest trophy in international sport.

The 47-year-old Briton is already the most successful Olympic sailor and has had the "Auld Mug" in his sights for almost as long as he can remember.

Since battling with a back injury to win his fourth Olympic gold medal at the London Games, Ainslie's ambition has been to "bring the Cup home" to Britain, which has never won the event since it first began off the south coast of England in 1851.

Although Ainslie has lifted the America's Cup once already, - in 2013 when he helped achieve one of the biggest sporting comebacks ever - that was while he was part of a U.S. team.

Jimmy Spithill, who skippered Ainslie in that win and has fought it out on the water with him many times since, said he has "a lot of respect" for the Briton, who beat him this week.

"He's one guy in my career that I absolutely love going head-to-head with, just because he's ruthless and I love that. He'll fight head-to-head and that's something I really love and admire in a competitor," Spithill said after racing on Friday.

Now, with the backing of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, Ainslie has built a boat with help from Formula One team Mercedes and assembled a crew that he hopes can go all the way.

Getting to that point has involved some painful decisions, including switching out his long-term lieutenant Giles Scott and replacing him as co-helm with another Olympian, Dylan Fletcher.

"I went from a 14-year-old getting my life-jacket signed by him to racing alongside him, it's quite surreal," said Fletcher.

"He's obviously ruthless in the racing sense, but also very open