2021 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – SEASON 3, MATCH 6
- Saturday, September 11 – Sunday, September 12
- 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST (7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Local Time)
- Piscina Felice Scandone, Naples, Italy
- Short Course Meters (25m – SCM) Format
- ISL Season 3 Schedules, Start Times, & More
- All Ten 2021 ISL Team Rosters
- Teams Competing: Cali Condors, London Roar, Tokyo Frog Kings, Aqua Centurions
- Omega Live Results
- Match 6 Preview
- Day 1 Live Recap
The London Roar swam well on day 1 of Match 6 and lead the Cali Condors by 13.5 points going into the second day of racing. The return of stars including Emma McKeon and Kyle Chalmers gives the Roar a boost in events that the Cali Condors might otherwise be favorited in, namely sprint free and fly. Chalmers, however, is relay-only for London today.
Caeleb Dressel will not swim for the Cali Condors today. Instead, we’ll see Nic Fink, Angel Martinez, and Coleman Stewart fill in for the races Dressel would be expected to swim, such as the 100 IM, 50 fly, and the freestyle skins, respectively. Sherridon Dressel, however, will swim the women’s 50 butterfly skins for the Cali Condors.
It would be a minor upset for the London Roar to win this meet. Even if they do bag the 4 team points for the win, if Cali were to place 2nd and earn 3 team points they would unseat the LA Current and take the lead in overall team standings this season.
DAY 2 START LISTS
Lane Assignments:
- Lanes 1&2: Tokyo Frog Kings (TOK)
- Lanes 3&4: London Roar (LON)
- Lanes 5&6: Cali Condors (CAC)
- Lanes 7&8: Aqua Centurions (AQC)
TEAM SCORES AFTER DAY 1
- London Roar, 277.0
- Cali Condors, 263.5
- Tokyo Frog Kings, 187.0
- Aqua Centurions, 181.5
Women’s 100 Freestyle
Emma McKeon takes the win in the first race of the day, but Cali Condors place 2nd and 3rd with Natalie Hinds and Erika Brown, respectively. Cali earns a total of 13 points while the London Roar earns 10 points from McKeon’s win and Kim Busch placing 8th. Tokyo earned 8 points while the Aqua Centurions get just 7 points.
Team Points Update
London Roar 287
Cali Condors 276.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 194
Aqua Centurion 188.5
Men’s 100 Freestyle
Duncan Scott and Katsumi Nakamura earn a vital 16 points for the London Roar with a 1-2 finish. Justin Ress earns 6 points by placing 3rd, though Condors teammate Kacper Majchrzak placed 8th and only earned 1 points, giving the ‘Dors 7 points total. Tokyo earns 9 points to out-do Cali, while Aqua earns only 5 points.
Team Points Update
London Roar 303
Cali Condors 283.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 203
Aqua Centurions 193.5
Women’s 200 Butterfly
The Cali Condors had a great showing in the women’s 200 fly with a 1-2 finish from Kelsi Dahlia and Katerine Savard, earning a total of 17 points thanks to a jackpot coming from London’s Laura Lahtinen. London’s Ilaria Bianchi appeared to be the favorite for a 2nd-place finish until the final 50 meters where Savard and Tokyo’s Keanna McInnes surged ahead. Tokyo’s Leah Gingrich placed 5th to give the Frog Kings a total of 10 points in the race, the 2nd-highest of all 4 teams represented in the race.
Team Points Update
London Roar 308
Cali Condors 300.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 213
Aqua Centurions 198.5
Men’s 200 Butterfly
Daiya Seto gives Tokyo a huge boost with a win and 6-point jackpot in the men’s 200 fly. London earned 11 points, which is pretty good considering that their main objective is to out-score the Cali Condors and extend their team lead as much as possible. The Condors, meanwhile, earned only 5 points from Angel Martinez who breaks his own Mexican National Record in the race. The Aqua Centurions managed to out-score the Condors in this race as well with 6 points earned by Leonardo de Deus.
Team Points Update
London Roar 319
Cali Condors 305.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 228
Aqua Centurions 204.5
Women’s 100 Backstroke
London has a huge race with a 1-2 finish from Kira Toussaint and Minna Atherton. Though Toussaint was the leader all throughout the race, Atherton nearly caught her at the end. Toussaint earns 12 points for jackpotting 2 other swimmers, giving London a total of 19 points total in the race. Olivia Smoliga and Sherridon Dressel earn 13 points for the Cali Condors, while Tokyo earns just 4 points and the Aqua Centurions only 2 points.
Team Points Update
London Roar 338
Cali Condors 316.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 232
Aqua Centurions 206.5
Men’s 100 Backstroke
Coleman Stewart produced a massive underwater to come back on London’s Guilherme Guido and out-touch him for the victory in the men’s 100 backstroke. However, Stewart stayed underwater past the 15-meter mark on his 4th 25 and was disqualified, which means the Cali Condors are deducted 2 points. Furthermore, Angel Martinez, who just moments earlier swam the 200 fly, did not swim the men’s 100 backstroke, resulting in a further 4 point deduction.
If Stewart’s victory had been ratified, the Condors would have netted 15 points in the race: +19 for Stewart’s win but still -4 for Martinez’s absence. Tokyo earned 13 points with 2nd- and 3rd-place finishes, while London comes away with a total of 24 points. Ultimately, London and Cali have a 30-point difference in this race alone.
Team Points Update
London Roar 362
Cali Condors 310.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 245
Aqua Centurions 206.5
Women’s 100 IM
Beata Nelson grabs a critical 12 points for the Cali Condors, stealing points from teammate Anastasia Sorokina as well as London’s Katie Shanahan. Sydney Pickrem earns 7 points for London, while Tokyo earns 11 points total with 3rd- and 4th-place finishes. The Aqua Centurions come away with 7 points total, equaling the Roar.
Team Points Update
London Roar 369
Cali Condors 322.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 256
Aqua Centurions 213.5
Men’s 100 IM
Duncan Scott surged over the final 25 meters to win the men’s 100 IM, stealing a point from Aqua’s Arno Kamminga. London teammate Luke Greenbank places 7th to give London a total of 12 points in the race. Nic Fink and Marcin Cieslak earn 9 points for Cali, the same as Tokyo, while Aqua earns just 6 points.
Team Points Update
London Roar 381
Cali Condors 331.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 265
Aqua Centurions 219.5
Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Lilly King earns 10 points for the Cali Condors, though the ‘Dors lose a point for Leonie Kullman failing to meet the minimum time in the race, leaving the Condors with 9 points total. The Aqua Centurions earn 12 points total while London earns 10 points total. Though every win is vital to a team’s momentum, this race does not ultimately help the Condors catch up to the London Roar in the team standings.
Team Points Update
- London Roar – 391.0
- Cali Condors – 340.5
- Tokyo Frog Kings – 270.0
- Aqua Centurions – 231.5
Men’s 100 Breaststroke
Tokyos’ Yasuhiro Koseki surged in the final 25 to take the men’s 100 breaststroke and jackpot London’s Sam Williamson. Aqua earn 13 points thanks to 2nd- and 3rd-place finishes, while the Condors earn just 7 points. London, however, has their worst showing of the day and comes away with just 2 points.
Women’s 50 Butterfly
The Aqua Centurions upset with a 1-2 finish in the women’s 50 fly, thanks to Holly Barratt and Elena di Liddo. Emma McKeon swims to 3rd and earns 6 points, making for a total of 10 points for London. The Cali Condors chose to save Kelsi Dahlia for the skins, instead utilizing Beata Nelson and Sherridon Dressel, who earned a total of 8 points for the Condors.
Men’s 50 Butterfly
The Aqua Centurions earned a much-needed 15 points in the men’s 50 fly, while Cali earns just 4 points. London further distances themselves from Cali as they come away with 12.5 points.
Team Points Update
London Roar 415.5
Cali Condors 359.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 290.5
Aqua Centurions 276.5
Women’s 200 Freestyle
Erika Brown produces a surprising win and teammate Katerine Savard places 3rd, giving Cali a total of 15 points in the race. London earned a mere 5 points while the Aqua Centurions get 7 and Tokyo 10 points.
Men’s 200 Freestyle
It’s another big win for London who bags 1st and 3rd for a total of 15 points. The Cali Condors hurt with only 5 points, while Tokyo gets a solid 11 points. The Aqua Centurions earn 6 points–not enough to help them make up the deficit Tokyo has over them in the team standings.
Team Points Update
London Roar 435.5
Cali Condors 379.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 310.5
Aqua Centurions 289.5
Mixed 4 x 100 Medley Relay
London’s lead is beginning to look insurmountable as they place 1st and 2nd in the mixed medley relay. The Cali Condors settle for 3rd and 5th. Total, London Roar earns 32 points in the race while Cali nets just 20. This race was worse for the Frog Kings though, who earn just 8 points, which breathes life into the Aqua Centurions who are able to close the gap a little bit more in overall points.
Team Points Update
London Roar 467.5
Cali Condors 399.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 318.5
Aqua Centurions 303.5
Women’s 400 IM
Yui Ohashi made it look easy in the women’s 400 IM, winning the race and leading at the 200-meter mark, earning a total of 19 points after stealing points from 2 other competitors. Anastasia Gorbenko and Kathrin Demler earned Cali 13 points while the Aqua Centurions get a total of 11 points.
Men’s 400 IM
Daiya Seto ran away with the men’s 400 IM and earned a total of 21 points. Tokyo teammate Daniil Pasynkov earned 4 points, giving Tokyo a total of 25 points in the race. London earned 0 points as both Scott and Greenbank had their points stolen by Seto. The Aqua Centurions did well and earned 20 points.
Team Points Update
London Roar 476.5
Cali Condors 420.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 362.5
Aqua Centurions 334.5
Women’s 50 Skins – Butterfly
Quarter-Final
Kelsi Dahlia and Beata Nelson advance to the 2nd round, alongside Holly Barratt and Emma McKeon. This is a great start for Cali who gambled earlier by saving Dahlia for the skins, choosing to not have her swim the individual 50 fly, which was won by Barratt.
Semi-Final
Kelsi Dahlia and Beata Nelson will advance to the final round of the skins, which is a huge boost to the Condors who are cutting down the lead that London has. McKeon finishes 3rd while Barratt finishes 4th.
Final
Dahlia wins the final round of the skins. In all, Cali earns 53 points in the skins, including 21 in the final round–14 to Dahlia and 7 to Nelson. London Roar’s lead in the team standings has been cut down to just 17 points. Justin Ress and Coleman Stewart have a lot riding on their upcoming 50 freestyle(s).
Men’s 50 Skins
Quarter-Final
Aqua gets both of its swimmers into the skins semi-finals while London and Tokyo each advance one swimmer. The Cali Condors are knocked out of the skins completely which means that London is going to win Match 6. The battle for 3rd intensifies as Aqua makes up ground on Tokyo.
Semi-Final
London and Aqua advance one swimmer each. Regardless of who wins, London will win the match, Cali will get 2nd, Aqua will place 3rd, and Tokyo will end up in 4th.
Final
Katsumi Nakamura wins the skins for the London Roar and steals all of Alessandro Miressi‘s points, giving London a total of 21 points.
Final Team Standings – Match 6
- London Roar – 529.5
- Cali Condors – 478.5
- Aqua Centurions – 379.5
- Tokyo Frog Kings – 376.5
I don’t suppose anyone knows why Pickrem’s skipping the 200 breast and 400 IM?
Yay for London! And this again solidifies my stance that jackpotting skews too many points and skins is worth way too many points. Cali lost one swimmer and it made such a huge difference, mainly because of lost jackpots and skins.
If the ISL actually cares about depth instead of just pandering to the top swimmers (which they claim they do) they need to sort out the rules.
At the very least make it easier for non sprinters to win MVP. Seto had to win every event he swam this meet just to barely get it and that was because Caleb was out today. It’s unfair for swimmers that do these back to back grueling middle distance swims and only get half the recognition and prize money (yes Seto made a lot but looking at the big picture and it’s a very top heavy payout)
Part of me feels sad watching Seto swim so well in the ISL right now. He’s still one of the very best swimmers in the world; things just didn’t come together for him last month.
self inflicted though. personal issues aside, what really did him in was leaving his long time coach. I think he was basically coaching himself.
also, he has always been more accomplished in SCM.
He was being coached by a friend of his afterwards, but I think the big thing was just pressure. After having the world in the palm of his hands in 2019 and seeing it all crumble apart because of his screw up, I can only imagine how alone he might have felt leading up to that Olympics.
Definitely there was intense pressure. I bet for him, it was not just because he was playing on home soil, it was also to redeem himself.
But I still think that change of coach was a big factor. He did an interview with Japanese TV right after his last match. His old coach who was part of the national coaching team came up to him after the prelims of the 200IM to give him advice. He then kinda showed signs of life after that.
Anyways, basically, everything that could go wrong, from personal to training, did go wrong for him in the lead up to the games.
Yeah questionable altitude training protocol. When you first come down 3-5 days there is a great bump then a slump (which he hit predictably) then an even bigger bump 2-3 weeks after coming down. Or even longer. Tapering at altitude is not recommended.
Fun fact: London’s won all 12 of their backstroke events so far
Most of elite backstroker in world aren’t there tbh
Wdym? All 4 Male Backstrokers who podiumed at olympics are here, yes the Female side is a bit weak but there’s still Masse who won double Silver in Tokyo
I feel like this season is a lot better (besides the stream obviously) it seems more of a mix up
Nice to see a lesser known swimmer (Nakamura) win skins for a change!
Close calls there, but YES!! London in 1st over Cali!
YES!! Aqua beating Tokyo for 3rd.
The shake-ups we’ve been waiting for.
At least the stream worked well on the 2nd half of the match