Sir Ben Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, has been robbed of his Rolex watch at knifepoint in Barcelona. The 47-year-old is in Spain to lead the British team, Ineos Britannia, in the run-up to the prestigious America’s Cup. (More Sports News)
Local media reported that the five-time Olympic medallist was mugged by a gang while leaving a restaurant on Saturday night. Later, Sir Ben confirmed the robbing. The watch was said to be valued at around €20,000 (£16,858).
"Barcelona is a fantastic host city for the America’s Cup. The team has felt welcomed and is enjoying our stay in this vibrant city," Sir Ben said in a statement.
"Like in all big cities, you can be affected by opportunistic crime and my situation is no different. This is now a matter with the local authorities."
Barcelona has witnessed a spate of high-end watch thefts in the recent past. In 2022, FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski had a watch reportedly worth EUR 70,000 snatched from his arm as he signed autographs.
Who Is Sir Ben Ainslie?
Born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, Ben Ainslie reportedly started sailing at the age of eight. He first appeared in an international competition at the 1989 Optimist World Championships held in Japan. He was only 12 then.
He has won medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1996 onwards, including four gold between 2000 and 2012. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he picked up a silver medal in the Laser class. Having gained weight, he moved to the Finn class and won gold in the following four Games.
A member of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron, Sir Ben made his America’s Cup debut in 2002, joining the One World team. Popularly known as Big Ben, Ainslie has been given three honours by the Queen -- an MBE, a CBE and a knighthood.
The Campaign
Sir Ben is the team principal and skipper of the Britannia team, and the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-backed team will start their campaign with the Louis Vuitton Challenger Selections Series -- which serves as the hunt for the challenger to the defending champions.
Emirates Team New Zealand, for sponsorship reasons, won the 2021 America's Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. So, they are the 'Defender'.
Five teams -- Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland), Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy), NYYC American Magic (United States), INEOS Britannia (United Kingdom) and Orient Express Team (France) --will fight in the Louis Vuitton Challenger Selections Series to win the right to challenge Team New Zealand in a best-of-13 series.
For the record, the Defender also compete in this hunt for the challenger, an opportunity to fine-tune their title defence.
Do you know?
The oldest international competition still operating in any sport, the America’s Cup is often considered a celebration of fine watchmaking.
Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, Hublot, Ulysse Nardin, Panerai, Bremont, Audemars Piguet, and many more have been associated with these famous regattas, either as sponsors or official timekeepers. This year, Omega returns as the official timekeeper.
