TOKYO, TORONTO AIM TO IMPRESS ON ISL DEBUTS

Tokyo Frog Kings and Toronto Titans, the last two teams yet to participate in Season 2020 of the International Swimming League (ISL), will make their highly anticipated ISL debuts on Saturday when they take on LA Current and Aqua Centurions in Match 3 at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary. 

All eight returning teams have already competed once in Season 2020, with LA Current and Aqua Centurions heading into Saturday’s match in joint fifth and joint seventh place, respectively.

Cali Condors and London Roar top the standings with 4 match points apiece, followed by defending champions Energy Standard and Team Iron tied in third with 3 match points. 

Click here to find out how to watch the action of this year’s biggest international sporting competition.

Newcomers Tokyo are made up of a strong blend of young and improving Japanese swimmers, mixed with a sprinkling of international stardust. 

The Frog Kings are led by four-time Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima as General Manager, who said he “jumped at the chance to be a part of ISL,” after being impressed by its success in season one last year. 

Familiar Faces

Daiya Seto helped Energy Standard win Season 2019 and he will be hoping to match his performance in the Las Vegas Finals, where he set a new world record in the 400m individual medley. It was one of three victories the Japanese swimmer enjoyed in Season 2019. 

He will be joined on the Frog Kings by Vladimir Morozov, who won four matches for Iron in Season 2019. The Russian individual medley world record holder is strong across all the strokes and his experience competing in the ISL will stand Tokyo in good stead. 

Catherine DeLoof and Simona Kubova also have ISL experience under their belts, having competed for NY Breakers and DC Trident, respectively, in Season 2019. They will link up with two of Japan’s best young swimmers in Natsumi Sakai, 19, and Suzuka Hasegawa, 20. 

Toronto are led by Kylie Masse, a bronze medalist at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and current 100m backstroke World Champion, and 37-year-old Brent Hayden, who won bronze in the 100m freestyle at the London 2012 Olympic Games. 

The Titans are a powerful mix of Canadian and international talent. While 11 swimmers have represented Canada, the team’s roster features athletes from 13 countries. 

Among their recruits for Season 2020 are Rebecca Smith, who helped Energy Standard to glory in Season 2019, and Michael Chadwick and Shane Ryan from LA Current. 

However, they will be without their General Manager Robert Kent, who has remained in Canada after being diagnosed with prostate cancer but will be keeping close tabs on the team thanks to his son Dylan, who has taken over as interim GM and is on the ground in Budapest.

“We are hoping to be after it right away and hopefully we can keep that momentum rolling,” Robert said. “Tokyo are going to be tough. A lot of them just came off of Japanese short course nationals. I think they are going to be ready to go. 

“Definitely the goal for us is to be ahead of Aqua Centurions. I think that is crucial. There’s a road to the playoffs there, and then we see where we can fit in with those other two teams.”

Current, Centurions target improvement

LA Current enjoyed some strong performances in Match 1 and General Manager Lenny Krayzelburg was able to look back with pride at the way Ryan Murphy, Marco Ferreira and Tom Shields performed in the men’s competition, and the form of Beryl Gastaldello in the women’s. 

Murphy won three matches over the two days of competition, while Shields ensured that Current made a winning start on both days by coming home first in the opening races. 

Aqua Centurions won one race in Match 2 when Szebasztian Szabo won the 50m butterfly to collect 19 points. 

Head coach Matteo Giunta will be looking to his breaststroke swimmers to help fire his team. Nicolo Martinenghi and Fabio Scozzoli enjoyed wins in Season 2019, while Martina Carraro has won breaststroke medals at the world and European levels. 

“Being here in the ISL is a privilege,” Giunta said on the Centurions’ Instagram page. “Anyone who is lucky enough to have been given this opportunity is very lucky because they have the chance to compete at the highest level.

“I want us to be competitive in every event, and that is what all the team wants.”

ABOUT THE ISL: The International Swimming League is a global professional swimming competition now in season 2 with teams in Europe (Italy-based Aqua Centurions, France-based Energy Standard, Hungary-based Iron, and London Roar), North America (Cali Condors, DC Trident, LA Current, NY Breakers and Toronto Titans), and Asia (Tokyo Frog Kings). 

Season 2020 is taking place at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary. Over 300 of the world’s best swimmers from over 50 countries are competing for over USD 6 million in prize money during the condensed, five-week event. 

MATCH SCHEDULE: There will be 10 preliminary matches in total, with the top eight teams progressing to the semifinals. The top two teams will battle it out in the Grand Final on November 21 and 22. The full match schedule can be found here.

ISL SOCIAL: Keep up with all the latest ISL news by following @iswimleague on Instagram and Twitter and @internationalswimmingleague on Facebook and YouTube. Visit https://isl.global

MEDIA SERVICES: In countries that do not have a rights holder, the matches are being live streamed on the ISL digital platform ISLand, which can be accessed here.

The results, updated start lists and match standings can be accessed here.

Rights-free photo content is available here and video content is available here, please credit ISL.

Finally, 20 minutes after the end of each match, a virtual mixed zone will be held that can be accessed via this zoom link.

MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected] 

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