Ryf and Blummenfelt named Collins Cup MVPs
The fastest athletes of the day helped lead Team Europe to a dominating win
Photo by:
PTO
The two leaders of Team Europe were aptly named MVPs of the Collins Cup by the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) today – after a tough race at the inaugural event last year, Daniela Ryf surged back with a convincing performance, while Kristian Blummenfelt blasted to another top finish.
Ryf given Erin Baker Award
The woman’s MVP award is named after New Zealand’s nine-time world champion Erin Baker, who won 104 of the 121 races she entered during her stellar career.
“Ryf, ten-time world champion, arrived at the Collins Cup with revenge on her mind after having had an off day at last year’s event – and she did not disappoint,” the PTO said in a release. “European Captain Natascha Badmann put Ryf out in the first match against the reigning Olympic Gold Medal winner, Flora Duffy (Team International), with Sarah True (Team US) rounding out the match. Ryf put on a display of power and speed, scoring the maximum six points, that left no doubt that Team Europe was there to win and win big.”
“Daniela came to this year’s Collins Cup with something to prove,” Badmann said. “We wanted her in the first match to set the tone for the race, which was that Europe was there to take to no prisoners. Her performance was exceptional and put Team International and Team US on notice that they were in for a very long day.”
Related: Team Europe dominates the Collins Cup
Blummenfelt takes Dave Scott Award
The men’s MVP award is named after six-time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott, who set numerous records and raised the professional levels of the sport in its infancy.
“The Olympic Gold Medal winner, current Ironman world champion and reigning World Triathlon champion, Kristian Blummenfelt had the fastest time of the day and crushed any thought of a comeback by Team US and Team International by putting up the maximum six points on the board for Team Europe in the first men’s match of the day,” The PTO said in its release.
“Kristian had one goal and that was to vanquish his opponents and destroy any hope of Team International and Team US thinking they could recover from the strong performances of the European women,” said Normann Stadler, Team Europe Captain. “He wanted to score the maximum six points. With the fastest run of the day, he drove hard to the finish line to make an emphatic statement on Europe’s dominance.”
