Anton McKee Entered in Breaststroke Triple in Return to Racing (PSYCH SHEETS)

Iceland’s Anton McKee is entered in the 50, 100 and 200 breast at the nation’s first meet for senior/open-caliber swimmers since the COVID-19-imposed quarantine began.

Last weekend, the Icelandic Swimming Federation hosted its first meet for age group swimmers, where 353 mostly age-group athletes competed in three days of competition at a 25-meter pool in Akraness.

These meets are a leadup to the resumption of national championship competition on the island nation that lies midway between Europe and North America. Iceland will host an Age Group National Championship meet from July 3-5 and an open Icelandic Championship (in long course) from July 17-19.

A spokesperson for the federation says that they are expecting international swimmers attending the national championship meet.

According to the meet website for this weekend, “No traditional prizes will be awarded at the tournament but cash prizes will be awarded for the three best men’s and women’s achievements and will receive 1st place [kr] 20,000, 2nd place 15,000 and 3rd place 10,000.”

McKee, who spent his college years at Alabama and was the NCAA runner-up in the 200 breaststroke in 2017, is the only Icelandic swimmer to have qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games so far. His best finish at the 2019 World Championships was 16th place in the 200 breaststroke.

He holds Icelandic National Records in 14 individual events, including a 2:10.21 in the 200 breaststroke in long course meters. McKee has been announced as a member of the roster of the Toronto Titans for season 2 of the International Swimming League.

Iceland, like many of the world’s island nations, has dodged the worst of the global coronavirus pandemic. The country has 1,816 confirmed coronavirus cases leading to 10 deaths among its population of about 364,000. The country has opened itself up to international travel, including from the US, and is averaging a new confirmed case of the virus only every few days over the last six weeks.