MEET THE SARDINIA PRELIM REGATTA COMMENTARY TEAM
With the Sardinia Preliminary Regatta underway, the America's Cup Partnership is delighted to announce the broadcast team that fuses world-class broadcast talent with Olympic gold medallists and the current Congressional Cup champion.
Anchoring the global broadcast will be Niall Myant-Best, supported by Shirley Robertson OBE, Odile Lambriex van Aanholt and Cole Tapper – all sailors and analysts with the highest pedigrees in the sport.
The team’s broadcast will be transmitted to the world across YouTube, accessible via the America’s Cup website.
Niall Myant-Best
One of the most accomplished commentators of his generation, and a qualified naval architect, Niall combines a deep technical and coaching understanding of high-performance sailing with a first-class delivery honed at three Olympic Games, The Ocean Race and the America’s Cup. A sailor at heart, Niall is currently a coach for the British Skiff Pathway Programme, focussing on developing the next generation to deliver on the world circuits. Niall is lead commentator for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup and Prelim Regattas and is also host of the ‘Inside America’s Cup’ video series on YouTube and ‘America’s Cup Talks.’
Shirley Robertson OBE
In Olympic circles, Shirley needs little introduction. A four-time Olympian (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, she secured gold medals in the Europe Class at London 2012 and in the Yngling Class at Athens 2004. Following her spectacular Olympic career, Robertson transitioned into a highly successful career in sports broadcasting. She spent over a decade presenting and producing CNN International's flagship monthly sailing show, Mainsail, and currently leads broadcasting coverage for major international events, including as an official Olympic commentator and as a prominent play-by-play commentator for the America's Cup – a role she excelled in during the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, Barcelona.
Odile Lambriex van Aanholt
Born in Curaçao, Odile was one of four sailing siblings and was, by the age of 14 in 2013, the South American Optimist dinghy champion. The Olympic classes beckoned and she paired up with Elise de Ruijter to win both the 2021 World Championships and European Championships in the 49erFX class before defending her world title in 2022 in Canada. For the Paris Olympic Games of 2024, Odile joined Annette Duetz, and the duo won the gold medal. Immediately after the Games, she travelled to Barcelona and led the Jajo Team Dutch Sail in the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup, finishing sixth overall. A natural in the commentary booth, Odile’s on-water analysis of Olympic class racing, particularly the 49er class, has won wide praise and she joins the commentary team for the Louis Vuitton 38th Preliminary Regatta, Sardinia as a race analyst.
Cole Tapper
A breakthrough win on the World Match-Racing Tour in 2026 sees Cole Tapper joins the commentary team as the current Congressional Cup winner. A stand-out sailor, having risen through the Optimist, 420 and Nacra dinghy fleets, Cole came to prominence through the Cruising Yacht Club Youth Academy in New South Wales. His match racing career accelerated rapidly on the international youth circuit, culminating in breakthrough performances at the sport’s premier under-23 events. Cole was a runner-up at the 2023 Youth Match Racing World Championship on Sydney Harbour, followed by a dominant victory at the 2024 Championship in Jeddah, where Australia swept the finals series 3–0. In U.S. youth match racing, Tapper captured the Governor’s Cup in 2024, memorably overturning a 0–2 deficit to win the final 3–2, and successfully defended the title in 2025. He also recorded consecutive runner-up finishes at the New Zealand Match Racing Championship. In 2024, he skippered the Team Australia Challenge at the Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona, with the team reaching the semi-finals and finished fifth overall. Cole joins the commentary team as the on-water analyst.