Comeback king Jimmy Spithill never wavered James Spithill's former coach Traks Gordon reflects on the characteristics that led the 34-year-old to victory in the 2013 America's Cup for Team Oracle USA. Oracle Team USA's Australian skipper James Spithill reflects on an incredible America's Cup win for his crew. Oracle Team USA celebrate victory in the 34th America's Cup. Oracle Team USA's giant catamaran foils downwind to victory in the final race of the America's Cup regatta to retain the Auld Mug by a race margin of 9-8. NOBODY believed Oracle Team USA's Australian skipper Jimmy Spithill when he called his crew the underdogs before the America's Cup finals began. And no one believed him when, down 8-1 against New Zealand, he said they were going to make the greatest comeback in sailing history. But in a dramatic final showdown yesterday that one commentator called the "race of the century," the team bankrolled by software billionaire Larry Ellison proved everybody wrong. In an intense, come-from-behind victory, Oracle Team USA beat Emirates Team New Zealand by 44 seconds for the oldest trophy in international sports. Triumphant, Spithill and his crew pumped their fists and hugged each other as they flew by the shoreline in San Francisco Bay, then in a heartening symbol of sportsmanship, applauded their competitors and gave them the thumbs up as they sailed past. GALLERY: USA wins America's Cup "This is one hell of a day," Spithill said on board after the race. I'm just so proud of the boys, to be facing the barrel of the gun and win. What these guys do - they don't even flinch. Ellison, who kept a low profile during the regatta, hugged the crew as he boarded the high-tech 72-foot, foiling catamaran that had forever changed the image of the America's Cup from a stodgy blue-blood event to a heart-pounding, extreme sport. Thousands of flag-waving American fans, who had been largely absent from the event and turned off by the expense and an embarrassing cheating scandal, turned out yesterday to be part of history. They cheered on every tack, gybe and nail-biting lead change along the racecourse. "We started this regatta slower than the other team, but we ended this regatta faster," Spithill said. That was an incredible team effort. That's really what won us the cup. With the teams locked 8-8, the carbon-fibre catamarans set out for the final race. The Kiwis were on the defensive, having lost the previous seven races. The US team had momentum on its side. The race started close, with both teams crossing the start line side-by-side. In something not seen for several races, New Zealand led at the first mark as Team USA nose-dived nearby in the gusty winds but quickly recovered. "We wanted to keep it exciting for you guys," Spithill said. New Zealand continued to lead downwind, at times by only a boat length, and was first to the leeward mark. But Team USA rounded the opposite gate and split the course, a strategic move that made the difference later in the upwind leg, part of the course that had repeatedly proved the undoing of Oracle. This is it! Oracle tactician Ben Ainslie shouted to his crew, his voice picked up by microphones onboard. Work your asses off! New Zealand led at two crossing points on the leg before Team USA finally edged ahead. From then on, Oracle widened the lead. The US team rounded the windward mark 26secs ahead, and after the last mark, raced to the finish, winning by 44secs. "We knew we had a fight on our hands," New Zealand skipper Dean Barker said. The gains that they made were just phenomenal. They did just an amazing job of sorting out their boat. It's a good thing for us they didn't do it earlier. I am incredibly proud of our team and what we achieved. But we didn't get that last one we needed to take the cup back to New Zealand. It's just very hard to swallow. Team USA, whose boat was slower and crew work sloppy in the first week of the regatta, showed the value of a shore crew that made changes to the boat every night and a boat crew that never gave up day after day. The loss for Team New Zealand is as devastating for the crew as it is for the islands nation of 4.4 million. Team manager Grant Dalton, who at 56 crewed on the physically demanding catamaran during most races, said repeatedly if his team didn't bring the trophy home this time, he wouldn't be able to find the sponsors to support them for the next campaign. No fans have proved more loyal than the New Zealanders. Before yesterday's race, Kiwi fans at America's Cup Park had staged a haka to inspire the team. And many had optimistically extended their holidays to stick with the team to the end.