22 October 2019 News Sports

VLAD MOROZOV WINS ON ISL DEBUT

In a field full of superstars, Vladimir Morozov shone the brightest as he was awarded match MVP in his International Swimming League (ISL) debut this past weekend in Lewisville

 
In a field full of superstars, Vladimir Morozov shone the brightest as he was awarded match MVP in his International Swimming League (ISL) debut this past weekend in Lewisville.
 
The 27-year-old, who competes for Iron, was on fire in his first ISL match, winning three of his four individual events. Morozov came out on top in the men’s 50 breaststroke, 50 freestyle, and the skins event, which are worth triple the points if an athlete should advance to the final.
 
The skins consists of three rounds of 50 free, with the field shrinking down from eight to four to two. The Russian native proved to have the right combination of speed and endurance to get the job done, defeating Nathan Adrian of the LA Current in the final by over a full second.
 
“That was the first time I’ve ever done it,” Morozov said of the skins. “It was super tough, especially with the star-studded field that we had.”
 
The only individual race Morozov entered and didn’t win was the 100 free, where he was the runner-up to the London Roar’s Kyle Chalmers by just .07 seconds. He would later get revenge on Chalmers, beating him by .05 seconds in the opening round of the skins to knock the Australian out of contention. Chalmers is the defending Olympic champion in the 100 free.
 
Morozov was also a member of Iron’s 5th-place finishing men’s 4x100 medley relay, and their 3rd-place finishing men’s 4x100 free relay, producing the fastest split in the field in the latter.
 
After the match wrapped up, the nine-time Short Course World Champion was already looking towards the next few competitions.
 
“I hope I can keep the ball rolling the next two meets, and I hope that Team Iron makes it to Vegas and we have a big meet there.”
 
By virtue of his MVP victory, Morozov earns a $5000 bonus - as will the man or woman who is awarded the honor in each match of the season.
 
2019 ISL Meet MVPs:
● Indianapolis – Sarah Sjostrom, Energy Standard Club
● Naples – Caeleb Dressel, Cali Condors
● Lewisville - Vladimir Morozov, Iron
 
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
 
ISL SOCIAL: Keep up with all the latest ISL news by following @iswimleague on Instagram and Twitter and @internationalswimmingleague on Facebook. Visit https://isl.global
 
Media Contact: James Mulligan (james.mulligan@isl.global)  
 
International Swimming League Ltd
Alfred-Escher-Strasse 17, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland
22 October 2019