Lightning Strikes Halt America's Cup Qualifier Amid Italian Lead

Lightning disrupted an America's Cup qualifying race in Barcelona, leading to the day's events being canceled. Italy led New Zealand at the time, and secured a victory as New Zealand withdrew. Darkening skies prompted officials to call off further races. The round-robin stage will continue with remaining teams vying for top positions.

Lightning during an America's Cup qualifying contest on Tuesday between defenders New Zealand and the in-form Italians prompted officials to abandon racing off Barcelona for the day.

Italy was leading New Zealand, who, as holders of the 'Auld Mug,' do not need to qualify, when a bolt struck the sea. Racing in their sleek 'foiling' carbon-fibre AC75s at speeds above 40 knots, Italy got the better of the Kiwis early on and built a dominant lead before being awarded a race win after New Zealand withdrew following the close lightning strike.

With dark skies and worsening conditions in the Mediterranean, officials decided to call off further racing. Five potential challengers for the America's Cup—Britain, France, Italy, the United States, and Switzerland—are all competing in the round-robin stage of the Louis Vuitton Cup, which will determine which team is eliminated.

The four surviving teams will enter a semi-final round to secure a place in the final, which will decide who challenges New Zealand for the oldest international sporting trophy, first won off the English coast in 1851. America's Cup campaigns now cost tens of millions of dollars and involve state-of-the-art racing machines comparable to Formula One cars.

In Tuesday's other race, marking the second half of the round robin, Switzerland clinched a much-needed first series win against France, who reported technical issues that caused them to come off their hydro-foils. The leaderboard, excluding New Zealand, sees Italy at the top with four wins, followed by Britain on three, the U.S. with two, and Switzerland and France with one each.

(With inputs from agencies.)