The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has confirmed the Collins Cup automatic qualification places for Team Europe, Team USA and Team Internationals, ahead of the second edition of the event on August 20, at the x-bionic sphere sports resort in Bratislava, Slovakia.
- For Team Europe the four qualified women are: Daniela Ryf (SWI), Anne Haug (GER), Laura Philipp (GER) and Kat Matthews (GBR). The four men are: Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), Gustav Iden (NOR), Patrick Lange (GER) and Magnus Ditlev (DEN).
- For Team USA the top four women are: Taylor Knibb, Skye Moench, Chelsea Sodaro and Jackie Hering. The four men are: Matt Hanson, Sam Long, Rudy Von Berg and Chris Leiferman.
- For Team Internationals the four women are: Paula Findlay (CAN), Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), Tamara Jewett (CAN) and Ellie Salthouse (AUS). The four men are: Lionel Sanders (CAN), Braden Currie (NZL), Max Neumann (AUS) and Jackson Laundry (CAN).
The automatic qualifications were finalised after the PTO Canadian Open, the first-ever PTO Tour event.
Commenting on the selections, Team Europe captains Natascha Badmann and Normann Stadler said “We are hugely excited to have the first part of our team inked in.
“This is the moment things start to feel real and our job as captains begins to heat up. We’re looking forward to getting our heads together and discussing who our captain’s choices should be.”
Team USA captains Dave Scott and Julie Moss said “It’s great to get Taylor, Skye, Chelsea, Jackie, Matt, Sam, Rudy and Chris all on board. They give us an awesome spine to the team. Now the hard part is who to pick to complete the line-up.”
Team Internationals captains Erin Baker and Craig Alexander said “This is the nucleus of a team we’re confident will surprise people come 20 August at the Collins Cup. We’ll announce our selects next and then we’re ready to go.”
The Collins Cup was introduced by PTO in 2021. Modelled after golf’s Ryder Cup, it sees teams of European, Internationals and USA athletes pitted against one another.
In 2021, 36 of the world’s top professional triathletes battled it out over a 100km course in 12 individual race matches, each staggered ten minutes apart, with three athletes going head-to-head, one from Team Europe, Internationals and the USA.
With US$1.5 million on the line again this year, ‘the largest purse in the sport’, the racing will be broadcast to a global audience in more than 170 territories.
