AUSSIES MCKEON, ATHERTON POWER LONDON ROAR TO DAY 1 LEAD IN LEWISVILLE

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Over 100 Olympians are represented by the ISL, including 41 Olympic gold medals from the 2016 Olympic Games.

Day 1 of the International Swimming League’s third match in Lewisville was another thriller as the American crowd was treated to some great club battles and plenty of exciting races.

The London Roar and LA Current battled head-to-head throughout the session, and after 11 events, hadn’t been separated by more than 10 points. However, the Roar put on a surge down the stretch, winning six consecutive events (and seven of the last nine) to exit the day leading the Current by 19 points with 253.

Leading the way for London was Australians Emma McKeon and Minna Atherton, who both won a pair of individual events. McKeon won the women’s 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle, and Atherton claimed the women’s 50 and 200 backstroke. They currently sit second and third in the race for match MVP, awarded to the top scorer at the conclusion of Day 2, with 22.5 and 21.5 respectively. Vladimir Morozov of Iron leads with 23.

Overall the Roar came out on top in 10 of the day’s 19 races, including two of the three relays which score double points in the ISL. Cate Campbell, another Aussie, won the women’s 50 free and also had the fastest split on their winning women’s 4×100 free relay, and Brazilian Guilherme Guido topped the men’s 50 back field and also provided a key lead-off leg on the men’s 4×100 medley relay

“It’s been fantastic,” said Roar coach Peter Bishop. “So impressed with the team. So impressed with the start we’ve got here. It’s only day one though, another big day coming tomorrow.”

Bishop felt that once the club got on a roll, each victory gave them more confidence heading into the next one.

“That’s what happens. We have a really great team. We’ve come together from all around the world, we’ve come together and gelled in about two or three days. And the energy’s just built within. And we’re winning the points score, so it’s fantastic.”

American Ryan Murphy was the top point-scorer for the LA Current, compiling 19.5 that included a win in the men’s 200 back and a runner-up finish in the 50 back. Down by 25 with only one event remaining, their quartet of Nathan Adrian, Ryan Held, Matt Grevers and Michael Chadwick pulled out the victory in the men’s 4×100 free relay to bring the gap down by six.

Iron had a flying start to the match, winning three of the first five events before slowly falling behind the two leading clubs. They sit third with 186 points, 48 back of LA. 

Morozov managed to top all point-getters by winning the men’s 50 free, 50 breast, and producing a key leg on their free relay that placed third. Team captain Katinka Hosszu also had a strong start to her ISL career, placing first in the women’s 400 IM, third in the 200 back, and sixth in the 50 back for a total of 18 points.

NY Breaker captain and co-owner Michael Andrew led his club with 15 points, racing a total of five times that included a pair of fourth place finishes in the men’s 50 free and 100 fly.

“I’m happy to do what I can for the team,” said Andrew in a poolside interview during one of the breaks. “Some good races, some very painful races, but we learn from it and do what we can to get better for the next one.”

The Breakers trail Iron by 55 points heading into Day 2.

Team Standings Through Day 1:

• London Roar, 253.0

• LA Current, 234.0

• Iron, 186.0

• NY Breakers, 131.0

Day 1 Winners:

• Women’s 100 Butterfly – Emma McKeon, London Roar – 55.91

• Men’s 100 Butterfly – Tom Shields, LA Current – 49.50

• Women’s 50 Breaststroke – Alia Atkinson, Iron – 29.31

• Men’s 50 Breaststroke – Vladimir Morozov, Iron – 26.15

• Women’s 400 Individual Medley – Katinka Hosszu, Iron – 4:26.32

• Men’s 400 Individual Medley – Andrew Seliskar, LA Current – 4:06.30

• Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay – London Roar (Ottesen, McKeon, Wattel, C.Campbell) – 3:27.90

• Men’s 200 Backstroke – Ryan Murphy, LA Current – 1:49.87

• Women’s 200 Backstroke – Minna Atherton, London Roar – 2:00.58

• Men’s 50 Freestyle – Vladimir Morozov, Iron – 20.93

• Women’s 50 Freestyle – Cate Campbell, London Roar – 23.33

• Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay – London Roar (Guido, Prigoda, Lanza, Chalmers) – 3:23.65

• Women’s 200 Freestyle – Emma McKeon, London Roar – 1:53.58

• Men’s 200 Freestyle – Alexander Graham, London Roar – 1:41.58

• Women’s 50 Backstroke – Minna Atherton, London Roar – 25.99

• Men’s 50 Backstroke – Guilherme Guido, London Roar – 23.06

• Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Annie Lazor, LA Current – 2:20.05

• Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Matthew Wilson, London Roar – 2:03.93

• Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay – LA Current (Adrian, Held, Grevers, Chadwick) – 3:08.00

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

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Media Contact: James Mulligan ([email protected])  

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