The International Swimming League shifts back to Europe for its fourth match of the regular season, as the four clubs in Group B will renew hostilities after facing off for the first time last weekend.
In Lewisville, several storylines came to the forefront, including an impressive showing from the London Roar that led them to victory and a very tight race for match MVP that came down to the final event.
Check out some of the key storylines to keep an eye on for the upcoming match in Budapest.
Budapest Storylines
â— Tight MVP Battle: As expected, the race for match MVP, awarded to the swimmer who scores the most points for his or her team, was much more wide open in Lewisville than it had been in previous weeks. It ended up coming down to the match-ending skins, where Iron’s Vladimir Morozov was able to win on the men’s side while Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell of the London Roar placed second and third respectively for the women to come up just short.
Budapest promises to present a very similar scenario. Those three, along with the London Roar’s Kyle Chalmers, will likely be in the mix for MVP heading into the skins (worth up to triple points in the final) and a win there might be necessary. So far, all three match MVPs have won the skins (the three-leg 50 free eliminator).
There’s also the chance of someone not entered in the skins, like Katinka Hosszu, winning MVP. The Hungarian superstar was only 4.5 points shy of Morozov’s winning total in Lewisville, and hinted after the meet she’d like to swim even more events moving forward.
With the home crowd behind her, Hosszu will be incredibly dangerous and will challenge the sprinters for MVP.
â— Last-Minute Moves Paid Off: In Lewisville we saw London Roar coach Peter Bishop make some adjustments to his skins lineup during the final break in the match, slotting in McKeon in the women’s and Cameron McEvoy in the men’s in place of Bronte Campbell and Bruno Fratus, who weren’t performing quite as well. This paid off big time, as McKeon went on to place second (21 points) and McEvoy took fourth (10 points). Had they not made that move, the final scores could’ve been much closer (Roar defeated the LA Current by just 27.5).
This is something to keep an eye on in Budapest. With quick turnaround times for athletes and everyone at different stages physically due to travel and training, bold coaching moves will be beneficial and the clubs who are confident enough to execute them will be rewarded.
A decisive lineup change in a key moment in the match could be the difference between first or second, Vegas or no Vegas.
â— Roar Reload: Coming off their victory last weekend, the London Roar are getting some reinforcements as they’ll look to increase their advantage over the rest of the field in Budapest. Joining the club and making their ISL debuts will be the world’s most dominant breaststroker Adam Peaty, 2015 World Champion James Guy and 2016 Olympic champion Mireia Belmonte.
Peaty instantly becomes the favorite to win the men’s 50 and 100 breaststroke, and adds a lot of firepower to their medley relay. Guy will give them the 1-2 punch they were missing last week in the 400 free, 100 fly, and 200 fly, and Belmonte has a vast range of abilities that make her valuable in the butterfly and individual medley events. Belmonte can also compete in the 400 free, where they’ll likely need her as last week’s winner Holly Hibbott won’t be competing in Budapest. Also absent will be Matthew Wilson, the winner of the men’s 200 breast, so Peaty will likely have to step up in that event – one he hasn’t raced much in recent years.
After taking it to the rest of the field in Lewisville, the London Roar have made significant improvements that could lead to a dominant display in Budapest.
â— Iron Reset: After a relatively sluggish Day 1, Iron had a much better showing in Lewisville on the second day, scoring almost the same number of points as London and LA despite being well back in the overall standings. Hosszu, the captain and owner of the club, said that jet lag and a lack of familiarity with short course were largely to blame for their slow start.
Now that those issues are taken care of, and with the energetic Hungarian fans backing them, they’ll be much improved here. A repeat performance from Morozov and Ranomi Kromowidjojo in the skins (both won) would go a long way to moving them up in the final standings.
Competing on home soil with one week’s rest, Iron is set up to disturb the status quo and challenge for the match victory.
â— Chalmers v. Morozov Round 2: The highly anticipated clash between the two all-star sprint freestylers lived up to the hype in their first match. Morozov won the 50 free by 0.03 seconds over Chalmers, Chalmers got revenge by taking out the Russian in the 100 by 0.07, but it would be Morozov who got the last laugh by taking the skins.
Chalmers surprisingly failed to advance out of the first round, placing fifth, but likely won’t make the same mistake twice. His win in the 100, where he turned in last place at the halfway mark before mowing down the entire field to win, shows his endurance is on point.
After a rare misstep in his skins debut, expect Chalmers to be firing on all cylinders as he’ll look to gun down Morozov in their rematch.
About the ISL: The International Swimming League is a global professional swimming competition launching in 2019 with teams in both Europe (Italy-based Aqua Centurions, France-based Energy Standard, Hungary-based Iron, and London Roar) and the United States (Cali Condors, DC Trident, LA Current, NY Breakers). The inaugural season will include matches in Indianapolis IN, Naples ITA, Lewisville TX, Budapest HUN, College Park MD, London GBR, and the championship finale at the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. The ISL aims to create groundbreaking projects, in both form and content, exploring the full potential of competitive swimming while securing sustainable commercial growth in the sport.
Key Dates:
5-6 October 2019 – IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, USA
12-13 October 2019 – Aquatic Swimming Complex, Naples, Italy
19-20 October 2019 – The LISD Westside Aquatic Center, Lewisville, Texas, USA
26-27 October 2019 – Duna Area, Budapest, Hungary
16-17 November 2019 – Natatorium at the Eppley Recreation Center, Maryland, USA
23-24 November 2019 – London Aquatic Centre, Great Britain
20-21 December 2019 – Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, USA
24 October 2019
