“I went to four Olympic Games and reaching the Copa América is a dream”
BARCELONA, 1 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Swiss nationalized Argentine crew member Matías Bühler, one of the few members of Alinghi Red Bull Racing not born in Switzerland, assured that he faces the 37th America’s Cup starting in Barcelona with the illusion of having fulfilled a dream and with the joy of being part of a group that must “tame the bull” to win the prestigious regatta.
“The teams are going to arrive with a similar preparation and a determining factor will be the boat, the instrument. Alinghi Red Bull Racing is a bull that must be tamed, it is a beast that must be understood and not be afraid of, respect yes. Also enjoy it, without a doubt,” he assured in an interview with Europa Press.
Bühler, with an Olympic past, will debut in an America’s Cup but is an important part of a group of experienced sailors. “We are not a bunch of unemployed. There is a lot of talent and experience, and on the design and engineering side we are not starting from scratch. We are lucky to have probably the ‘Dream Team’ of boat designers. The other teams should envy us.” plot.
In this sense, he believes that the boats in the category are the closest thing to what is a Formula 1 in the motor world. “It’s very similar to Formula 1, let’s say Alonso is the best driver, if you don’t give him the best car, he won’t win. You give it to a mid-rank driver and he’ll probably win. It’s very similar here,” he said.
On a personal level, he does not hide that being able to be in the Copa América will be a “dream come true”. “I went to the last four Olympic Games in different versions, as an athlete or a coach. Reaching the America’s Cup is one of the dreams of any competitive sailor. A year ago, when they confirmed that I was joining the team, it was without a doubt a dream accomplished,” he acknowledged.
“The America’s Cup is something I had dreamed of. And we have people in the sailing team with a lot of experience and with a ‘background’ of being in team development and Olympic sailing, we have plenty of talent and experience to be at the level” , he stated about it.
Furthermore, he does not want Olympic sailing to be compared to the transoceanic regatta. “I don’t think it’s necessary to compare them, but I have no doubt that there are some elites in sailing. Jumping from one to the other is a huge privilege for me,” he noted.
BARCELONA AS “DOUBLE BONUS”
For the Swiss-Argentine sailor, Barcelona is a “double bonus” in the next America’s Cup, which Alinghi has won on two previous occasions (2003 and 2007). “The fact that my family is still here and living the experience from home is something unique. Barcelona contributes many things, beyond sailing, but at a nautical level the dates of the Copa América in September and October will be nice, they are months of transition”, valued the sailor, who lives in El Maresme (Barcelona).
“Barcelona can add that touch of a great city, powerful on a world level, of being able to give more media attention to the Copa América, more spectacle because they can go very well hand in hand. Such a beautiful and aesthetic city, with one of the sailing elites that, if they have anything, is aesthetics”, he pointed out about what the Catalan capital can contribute to the toughest and most famous regatta in the sailing world.
In this sense, he believes that the city could live “a little more facing the sea and sail more” after the Copa América. “It will help draw attention to the Catalans and the rest of Spain for the opportunities it has to enjoy this sport. The Cup can help a lot of people discover sailing and see what it’s all about; the resources are there. Maybe just A bit of publicity is missing, it will be linked to how well the city plays the cards to attract people to the sea and to sailing,” said Bühler, who will debut in an America’s Cup that he intends to conquer aboard a ‘tamed’ Alinghi.