Neus Ballester and Paula Barceló, Ready to Make History at the First Women's America's Cup

The Sail Team BCN has started the official training sessions ahead of their debut in the first edition of the Women's America's Cup, which will be on Sunday, October 6, although the competition starts on October 5.

After two days of free practice, the skippers and trimmers of the Sail Team BCN conducted the first official training regatta with buoys and a race committee. Ultimately, the skippers who will be aboard the AC40 will be the racer from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, Neus Ballester and the racer from Club Nàutic S'Arenal, Silvia Mas and the trimmers will be the racer from Club Nàutic S’Arenal, Paula Barceló and María Cantero, with Nicole Van der Velden as the reserve racer.

The Women's America's Cup is one of two categories that accompany the main competition in the 37th edition of the America's Cup. Together with the Youth America's Cup, it adds an innovative and inclusive component to this legendary championship. This is the first edition of this women's competition and opens new opportunities for female sailors who, from October 5 to October 13, will compete against 11 other teams.

The racer from Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita, Neus Ballester is the youngest member of the women's team and the only one who is also part of the youth team. She is the daughter of Olympic champion Pepote Ballester and world champion Neus Bover. She herself boasts being a two-time World Champion of 420, bronze in the European Youth 470 and fifth in the World Youth 470.

"I am quite young and being told that I am going to be part of the team, even if not on the boat, just being part of the team is a source of pride and is very important to me. It's the first Women's America's Cup in history and being able to say that being so young I can be on this team is incredible," she stated.

The racer from Club Nàutic S’Arenal, Paula Barceló won gold at the 2020 49er Fx World Championship, bronze at the 2022 World Championship and bronze at the 2023 European 49er Fx Championship. She has participated in two Olympic Games: Tokyo and Paris, and what is most surprising is that she combines elite sports with her higher education: she is in her fifth year of Medicine.

Paula has expressed feeling "super fortunate to be in the first team of girls to participate in the America's Cup. I think that, in addition to being lucky, it's a great responsibility. In the end, many barriers are being broken in women's sports and I think this, along with other major circuits that are increasingly introducing women, are doing an impressive job, but at the same time I feel that responsibility to continue breaking barriers for future generations that are coming."

The racer from Club Nàutic S'Arenal, Silvia Mas, also comes from a family of sailors and has been sailing since she was a child with her three siblings. She was a world champion in 470 and an Olympian in Tokyo, twice World Junior champion, overall champion of Spain and European bronze medalist.

Silvia has affirmed that she is "aware that it is something historic, it is the first time that women are participating in the America's Cup. I am super happy obviously that it is in Barcelona, which is home and also with a responsibility. This is the beginning of a very long path. We hope that the America's Cup has come to stay and that, as editions go by, it will get better."

Jordi Puig, president of the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, the club for which Sail Team BCN sails, is very excited about the challenge. "From the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, I want to wish the best of luck to the Sail Team BCN in their challenge for the titles of the 37th Women's America's Cup. One of the things that excites us most is being able to support the Spanish sailing team, which concentrates an impressive amount of talent and which, I am sure, will bring us many joys in this competition."