Despondent New Zealanders reluctantly confronted the dreaded 'choker' tag on Thursday after losing the America's Cup in one of sport's most stunning comebacks.

"Choke on this New Zealand", was the blunt advice on the country's most popular news website, stuff.co.nz, after Emirates Team New Zealand lost the regatta 9-8 to Oracle Team USA, despite leading 8-1 last week.

"It has been labeled the greatest comeback in the history of sport and it's hard to disagree," the Fairfax Media site said.

NZ Prime Minister John Key tweeted a single word - "Bugger" - later describing the loss as "gut-wrenching".

"I think there will be an awful lot of New Zealanders who'll be sitting there with their heads in their hands," he told reporters.

The final race played out early morning in New Zealand and thousands gathered at bars and sailing clubs hoping for one last victory against the resurgent Americans.

But Philip Gaunt, who watched the entire marathon regatta at Wellington's Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, admitted he started the day with little optimism after Oracle relentlessly hacked away at the New Zealanders' lead for more than a week.

"If you're realistic, it wasn't a surprise, but I'm disappointed that we got so close before losing," he said.

Yacht club patrons clapped politely as Oracle finished first, then rose to give Team NZ a standing ovation when it crossed the line 44 seconds later.

The defeat was all the more galling for New Zealanders because Oracle's skipper, Jimmy Spithill, hails from their arch rival Australia, with media across the Tasman Sea rubbing salt into the wound.

The Sydney Morning Herald hailed Spithill as "the Aussie who sank a nation", while Melbourne's Herald Sun said, 'Aussies win miracle Cup for Yanks'.

Meanwhile, The Guardian credited Oracle's British tactician Ben Ainsley with turning around the yacht's faltering campaign and pointed out that the winning team's multi-national crew contained only two Americans.

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 09/27/2013 page24)