After winning their first International Swimming League match last weekend in Lewisville, the London Roar were the class of the field once again on Day 1 in Budapest as they lead the standings by 39 points going into Day 2.
Several storylines have emerged from Day 1, and there are some key things you’ll need to keep an eye on for Day 2. Check them out below.
Storylines After Day 1
• Hosszu Charging For MVP: Just like it was in Lewisville, the MVP race appears to be wide open as we head into Day 2. The MVP is awarded to the swimmer who scores the most points for his or her team upon conclusion of the match.
Hungarian superstar Katinka Hosszu, who placed third in the MVP standings in Lewisville, holds the lead after Day 1 here in Budapest with 22 points. She won the women’s 400 IM, placed second in the 200 backstroke, and third in the 200 freestyle, giving her four points more than she had at this point last weekend. With the 200 IM, 200 fly and 100 back all scheduled for tomorrow, where Hosszu could realistically score 25 points, she’s in good shape.
Locked in a tie for second in the MVP race are London Roar teammates Emma McKeon and Minna Atherton, who have already competed in their strongest events. The only way for either McKeon or Hosszu’s Iron teammate Vladimir Morozov (last week’s winner) to challenge her for MVP is if they can win the skins event, which are worth up to triple points in the final.
With the home crowd behind her, Hosszu is seeking to become the first swimmer to claim MVP in spite of not winning a skins race.
• The Peaty Factor: International superstar Adam Peaty watched from the sidelines last weekend as his London Roar teammates won their opening match in Lewisville. Tonight, in his league debut, Peaty was a factor in bolstering the club to even greater heights, as there lead is 20 points more than it was at this point in Lewisville.
Peaty won the men’s 50 breaststroke, had the fastest breaststroke split on the Roar’s winning men’s 4x100 medley relay, and then placed third in the 200 breast - an event he has rarely competed in over recent years. Those performances gave him a total of 19.5 points, almost the exact same amount London has improved from one week ago.
On Day 2, look for Peaty to win the 100 breast and help lead the Roar to a second consecutive match win.
• Home Crowd Boost: Along with the Roar, Iron showed massive improvement on Day 1 compared to the last match, as they have 17.5 more points than they did at this point in Lewisville. They also find themselves just nine points back of the second-place LA Current after trailing by 48 last time out.
This upgrade was illustrated in the final event of the day, as the Iron men won the club’s first relay in ISL history in the 4x100 free.
They’ve been better as a whole across the board, and if Morozov and Ranomi Kromowidjojo can have a repeat in the skins (both won last weekend), Iron will be in good shape to surpass the LA Current for second place at the end of the match.
• Skins Battle Heats Up: The majority of events on Day 1 were faster than they were one week ago, and that was highlighted in the 50 freestyle, making the skins events tomorrow highly anticipated. The skins are a three-round 50 free eliminator (8-4-2), with the winner earning 27 points.
Kromowidjojo was significantly faster to win the women’s event, and Morozov, Kyle Chalmers and Nathan Adrian all showed improvement in the men’s race. Cate Campbell was right on her times as well, and though she didn’t race the 50, McKeon was faster across the board in her events.
With one week’s rest, and more of an idea of what to expect, look for the skins matchups on Day 2 to be the top thrill of the meet so far.
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
27 October 2019
