3 August, 2022
London: Team Europe Captains Normann Stadler and Natascha Badmann today revealed their Captains’ Picks for the PTO’s flagship event The Collins Cup on 20 August.
They are:
Commenting on the selections, Normann Stadler, returning Champion European Captain, commented:
“It is always very difficult to choose the European Captains’ Picks as there are so many outstanding athletes. In Daniel Bækkegård, we have an experienced Collins Cup campaigner who knows the course and conditions well and had the third fastest time at last year’s Collins Cup. Daniel, as PTO World #7 in the world, is also the highest PTO ranked athlete to not automatically qualify for any team. Sam Laidlow’s tremendous performance at the PTO Canadian Open put on display that he is ready to compete with the best and join our Championship team. He will be the first athlete from France to participate in the Collins Cup.”
On the women’s side, Captain Natascha Badmann, noted:
“For the European Women, these picks were extremely difficult to make as there are so many outstanding athletes who deserve to race for Team Europe. As last year’s winner of the Julie Moss Award for the grittiest performance, Holly Lawrence demonstrated the true spirit of the Collins Cup and the determination of Team Europe. With Team Europe unexpectedly behind, Lawrence fell on the bike costing her a massive amount of time. Bloodied and battered and robbed of her chance to win her match, she fought on the run and denied Team US and Team Internationals vital bonus points. Her performance is already part of the Collins Cup lore.”
“While Nicola Spirig is a rookie for the Collins Cup, she is a seasoned veteran with an unprecedented career. Five time Olympian and Gold and Silver medal winner, Nicola is one of the greatest women on the Olympic distance the sport has produced. It will be a joy to see her join Team Europe.”
Stadler and Badmann concluded their thoughts by commenting:
“While we sadly will miss our high point catchers Jan Frodeno and Lucy Charles-Barclay because of injury, adding Kristian Blummenfelt, Magus Ditlev and Laura Phillipp certainly demonstrates the depth and strength of Team Europe. As we experienced last year in the early part of the race when we fell behind, the Collins Cup raises the performance of all athletes as they race for their teams. Team Europe will take nothing for granted. We expect a tremendous battle but are confident Team Europe will once again reign as Collins Cup Champions.”
The automatic qualifications for the teams were announced last week, following the PTO Canadian Open, and can be found here.
The Captains’ Picks for Team International will be revealed on Friday.
The Collins Cup will take place on 20th August at the x-bionic® sphere in Bratislava.
For full listings of how to watch The Collins Cup live on 20th August go to https://protriathletes.org/events/how-to-watch. For viewers in Europe and Indian Sub-Continent, The Collins Cup will be broadcast live exclusively on Eurosport. For the rest of the world, fans can watch either via desktop or app on PTO+. Highlights and full race replay as well as Collins Cup build up content can be watched globally via desktop or app on PTO+.
For pictures, video and other assets to cover the races, visit the Media Portal.
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For further information:
Professional Triathletes Organisation
Anthony Scammell, Communications Director [email protected]
About the Professional Triathletes Organisation
The PTO is a new body co-owned by the professional athletes, seeking to take the sport to the next level and see it grow and thrive. The inaugural PTO Tour race schedule for 2022 includes: the first-ever PTO Canadian Open (July 23-24); the second edition of $1.5M Ryder Cup-style Collins Cup (August 20), which sees Team Europe take on Team USA and Team International; and the first PTO US Open (September 17-18). Each Open carries a minimum prize money of $1M and will be raced over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run). In 2023 and 2024, the PTO Tour plans to expand with the PTO European Open and the PTO Asian Open, alongside their US and Canadian equivalents and the Collins Cup.
About The Collins Cup
The Collins Cup was introduced by the PTO in 2021 as part of its mission to take the sport of triathlon to the next level. Modeled after golf’s Ryder Cup, it saw teams of European, Internationals and USA athletes pitted against one another and put on a display the excitement, rivalry, drama and personalities of the sport for the world to see.
Thirty-six of the world’s top professional triathletes battled it out over the 100km course in twelve individual race matches, each staggered ten minutes apart, with three athletes going head-to-head, one from Team Europe, Internationals and the USA, to decide which region rules triathlon. With $1.5 million on the line again this year, the largest purse in the sport, the racing promises to be even faster and more furious and will be broadcast to a global audience in more than 170 territories. After a courageous battle from both Team USA and Team Internationals in 2021, Team Europe finally reigned victorious.
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