Should the Collins Cup Come Back?
Pros and fans are calling for the return of one of triathlon’s most compelling team-based events.
PTO
The Collins Cup refuses to stay in the past.
Last week, the T100 Triathlon World Tour sparked conversation across professional triathlon by posting a set of archival images titled Collins Cup 2022: The Lost Files. It was framed as a throwback moment. What followed was something closer to a collective demand.
Athletes and fans did not just reminisce. They asked for it back.
Response to the Instagram Post
The comments section read like a petition. As examples, Paula Findlay wrote, “Again again again.” Sam Long went further with, “Find back the Collins Cup!!” Jamie Riddle added, “Run it back.” Jason West floated a concept: “Mid-year Collins Cup in Kona?” Jackie Hering summed it up more simply: “We loved it!”
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Professional triathlon is deeper than it has ever been. The calendar is crowded and increasingly global. What remains rare, however, is a format that shifts the focus away from individual excellence toward team-based rivalries and shared stakes. A dynamic like this can offer a refreshing change of pace for both athletes and fans, introducing new tactics, new pressure points, and entirely new storylines.
Back in 2021 and 2022, this is exactly what the Collins Cup delivered.
A Look Back at the 2022 Race
In 2022, 36 of the world’s best athletes lined up in Samorin, Slovakia, split across Team Europe, Team USA, and Team International. The format was simple and ruthless: three athletes per match, each racing a 2km swim, 80km bike, and 18km run. Points were awarded not just for finishing position, but for margins.
Team Europe defended its title with authority, finishing on 53 points. Team International followed with 38, while Team USA finished with 22.5. But the scoreboard only tells part of the story.
There was Daniela Ryf running down Flora Duffy after conceding time early. Ashleigh Gentle clawed her way back on the run to win her match. Paula Findlay delivered one of the most complete performances of her career.
On the men’s side, Kristian Blummenfelt dismantled a stacked field with clinical patience. Gustav Iden ran under 60 minutes for 18km. The Sanders-Long-Laidlow matchup became instant lore, complete with pre-race tension, mid-race reversals, and a finish that felt personal.
For Canadian fans, the event carried added weight. Lionel Sanders, Jackson Laundry, Paula Findlay, and Tamara Jewett all raced for Team International. Jewett, in particular, used the stage to announce herself, finishing second behind Anne Haug and limiting Europe’s point haul in the process.
Then it stopped.
In 2023, the PTO announced that the Collins Cup was removed from the calendar, citing timing and logistical constraints. Rumours of a Morocco venue never materialized. The statement ended with a promise: the Collins Cup remains an important format and will return in the future.
That future is now being tested by demand.
Reimagining the Collins Cup
What makes the renewed interest notable is not just nostalgia. It is creativity. West’s suggestion of a mid-season Collins Cup in Kona is not throwaway fan fiction. Kona already draws the sport’s best athletes. It is a destination loaded with meaning. A team-based event in the lead-up to the world championships could function both as a rehearsal under those conditions and as a standalone spectacle.
Others have taken the idea further. Could a Collins Cup-style format be adapted into an Olympic mixed nationality event, similar in energy to the mixed relay but stretched over a longer distance?
The Collins Cup succeeded because it made athletes visible as both competitors and characters. Fans knew the matchups in advance. They followed narratives across disciplines. They debated tactics. With structured athlete lead-ins, behind-the-scenes access, and team strategy reveals, the event became a masterclass in modern sports storytelling.
The Lost Files post was framed as a moment of reflection, but what followed was not. The response was immediate, emotional, and remarkably consistent. Years after its last edition, the Collins Cup still occupies space in the imagination of the sport. And that may be worth paying attention to.