Collins Cup 2021 blog: How Europe claimed the prize

This is a replay of our live blog of the 2021 Collins Cup – click here for full report and results from Samorin.

After all the years of waiting it is finally here – the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s (PTO) inaugural Collins Cup event pits three ‘superpower’ teams against each other in Samorin, Slovakia today (Saturday) and you can can follow every second live in our special blog.

We will provide live coverage as the drama unfolds, with John Levison on site to provide the insight.

Who will win the Collins Cup?

The marquee event will see Team US, Team Internationals and Team Europe, each made up of 12 individuals – six male and six female – go head to head on the banks of the River Danube in 12 separate races, with each start list dictated by an exciting new draft format.

Team Europe have been backed by many as favourites for the Collins Cup, with their formidable line-up featuring the likes of Jan Frodeno, Gustav Iden and Joe Skipper on the men’s side – who sit at #1, #3 and #5 respectively in the PTO World Rankings – while the women include #1 Daniela Ryf, #3 Anne Haug and #4 Lucy Charles-Barclay.

There are still some top athletes across both other teams though, with women’s number #2 Teresa Adam lining for Team Internationals along with men’s #2 Lionel Sanders, while Team US features men’s #4 Sam Long.

The draft format allows teams to make tactical decisions to better their chances of gaining more points, but it will take a monumental effort to overcome the mighty Team Europe.

How does scoring work at the Collins Cup?

The winner of each race gets three points, the second receives two points and the third-place finisher gets one.

There are also bonus points on offer for the margin of victory:

• 1.5 points for six minutes or more
• 1 point for four minutes
• 0.5 points for two minutes

The team with the most points at the end of the 12 races lifts the (soon to be) famous trophy.

Who’s racing who?

The draft for the Collins Cup took place on Wednesday, teeing up a series of tantalising match-ups. They are:

• Daniela Ryf vs Taylor Knibb vs Teresa Adam
• Lucy Charles-Barclay vs Katie Zaferes vs Paula Findlay
• Anne Haug vs Jackie Hering vs Jeanni Metzler
• Holly Lawrence vs Skye Moench vs Ellie Salthouse
• Emma Pallant-Browne vs Chelsea Sodaro vs Sarah Crowley
• Katrina Matthews vs Jocelyn McCauley vs Carrie Lester
• Jan Frodeno vs Sam Long vs Sam Appleton
• Gustav Iden vs Collin Chartier vs Kyle Smith
• Sebastian Kienle vs Andrew Starykowicz vs Lionel Sanders
• Daniel Baekkegard vs Ben Kanute vs Max Neumann
• Patrick Lange vs Matt Hanson vs Braden Currie
• Joe Skipper vs Justin Metzler vs Jackson Laundry

When does the Collins Cup start?

The first women’s race gets underway at 13:00 local time (12:00 BST, 07:00 EST, 04:00 PST), while the first men’s race starts at 15:00 local time (14:00 BST, 09:00 EST, 06:00 PST).

The PTO reached an agreement with Eurosport to provide ‘multi-platform’ coverage across Europe, with the race set to be broadcast in 20 different languages.

Seven-hour coverage will appear on Eurosport 2, simulcast on the Eurosport App, while a shorter highlight show will air on Sunday on Eurosport 1.