Great Britain’s Christian Hamilton held his nerve in a dramatic sudden-death decider to defeat the United States’ Chris Poole 3-2 and lift the 2026 Bermuda Gold Cup in Hamilton Harbour.
In an enthralling match-racing spectacle that went right down to the wire, Hamilton clinched the King Edward VII Gold Cup by sealing victory in the fifth and final race of an intensely contested final.
Hamilton struck the opening blow by dominating Race One, using clean pre-start tactics to carve out early advantage and claim the first point on the board.
However, Poole quickly issued a stern response. The American skipper demonstrated his trademark aggression, rallying in commanding fashion to sweep both Race Two and Race Three and leave himself within touching distance of the championship.
With no room for error, Hamilton dug deep under mounting pressure. The British team delivered a clinical performance in Race Four, controlling the shifts across Hamilton Harbour to cross the line first, level the series at 2-2, and push the showdown to a winner-takes-all finale.
In a tense fifth race marked by close-quarters dial-ups and split-second tactical calls, Hamilton seized control off the starting line and kept Poole at bay through the final run to seal a memorable 3-2 triumph and etch his name onto the prestigious trophy.
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