London Roar Announce Addition of Seven Swimmers Following Aussie Departure

The London Roar have started their rebuild for the International Swimming League’s second season.

The Roar announced they have added seven new swimmers for Season 2 on Tuesday: Amaury Leveaux, Darragh Greene, Scott McLay and Elliot Clogg on the men’s side, and Kathleen Dawson, Harriet West and Emily Large for the women.

🦁NEW RECRUITS🦁@harriettwest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @GreeneDarragh 🇮🇪 @Dawson_Kathleen 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @MclayScott 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @ALeveaux 🇫🇷 @emilyylarge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @ElliotClogg 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Welcome to the pride! We can’t wait to watch you roar for London at #iswimleague02 🔥🦁🔥

— London Roar (@ISL_LondonRoar) September 22, 2020

The club received a major hit last week when its entire Australian contingent were forced to withdraw from the season due to strict coronavirus pandemic-related travel restrictions.

The Roar had nine Aussies slated to compete this season, including some of last season’s top performers in Cate Campbell, Minna Atherton, Emma McKeon and Kyle Chalmers.

McKeon (third), Campbell (seventh) and Atherton (ninth) all finished in the top-10 last season in MVP scoring, while Chalmers was 15th. The Roar placed second overall for the season, falling to Energy Standard in the finale.

NEW SWIMMERS

AMAURY LEVEAUX

SCM Best Times:

• 50 free – 20.48 (21.71 since comeback)
• 100 free – 44.94 (48.72 since comeback)
• 50 fly – 22.94 (23.04 since comeback)

Perhaps the most intriguing addition for the Roar is Leveaux, a four-time Olympic medalist who has held the short course world record in the men’s 100m freestyle since 2008. Leveaux, 34, announced his retirement from swimming in 2013, and then proclaimed he was coming back in 2018.

While the Frenchman holds SCM personal best times of 20.48, 44.94 and 22.94 in the 50 free, 100 free and 50 fly, respectively, his best showings since his comeback have been 21.71, 48.72 and 23.04.

With Chalmers out, Leveaux adds depth for the Roar in the men’s sprint free events and relays, joining Duncan Scott, Marius Kusch and Mikhail Vekovishchev. Yuri Kisil, Cameron McEvoy and Bruno Fratus were three other key sprinters London lost during this offseason.

SCOTT MCLAY

SCM Best Times:

• 50 free – 21.61
• 100 free – 47.41
• 50 fly – 23.46
• 100 fly – 51.89

Mclay, a Scottish native, primarily swims the same events as Leveaux, helping the Roar fill in on relays and potentially swim some individual freestyle events.

While the 21-year-old holds freestyle bests of 21.61 and 47.41 in short course meters, he also has a 20.85 relay split under his belt from the 2019 Scottish SC Championships.

DARRAGH GREENE

SCM Best Times:

• 50 breast – 26.78
• 100 breast – 58.13
• 200 breast – 2:07.60

Greene, a native of Ireland, bolsters the Roar’s male breaststroke group that already includes Adam Peaty, Kirill Prigoda and Matthew Wilson.

The 24-year-old was a semi-finalist at the 2019 LC World Championships in the 50 breast, split 59.08 in Gwangju on Ireland’s medley relay, and been sub-2:08 twice in the SCM 200.

ELLIOT CLOGG

SCM Best Times:

• 100 free – 48.04
• 200 free – 1:46.77
• 50 back – 24.43
• 100 back – 52.50
• 200 back – 1:52.35

A versatile Englishman, Elliot Clogg brings a strong backstroking presence to the team, particularly in the 200 where he boasts a best time of 1:52.35.

The Roar had Guilherme Guido dominate the men’s 50 and 100 back events last year, and he’ll return, but Clogg’s ability in the 200 will be a welcome sight for the club after Christian Diener was largely the only one holding down the fort last year. Clogg’s PB would’ve placed fifth in last season’s finale.

Guido, Diener and Luke Greenbank are the three other backstrokers on London’s roster this season.

Clogg can also contribute on the 400 free relay if called upon, holding a best of 48.04.

KATHLEEN DAWSON

SCM Best Times:

• 50 back – 26.42
• 100 back – 56.73
• 200 back – 2:04.09

Picking up Scotland’s Kathleen Dawson was an essential move for London after losing both Atherton and Holly Barratt. Atherton was the team’s star last season, dominating all three women’s backstroke distances including setting a new world record in the 100, but Barratt was also the second entrant in the 50/100 and put up some solid points. Atherton was also the only backstroker swimming the 200, with the second spot going to either Sydney Pickrem or Boglarka Kapas to fill in.

Though all of Dawson’s bests were set at the 2016 SC World Championships, she wasn’t far off her PB in the 50 last November (26.82), about a second off in the 100 (57.89), and was 2:08.66 in the 200 in December.

Along with Dawson, London has added Kira Toussaint and Maria Kameneva this season which gives them three strong options despite losing the Aussies.

HARRIET WEST

SCM Best Times:

• 50 back – 27.64
• 100 back – 59.55
• 50 fly – 26.36
• 100 fly – 57.46

West, a 23-year-old native of Wales, brings depth to the women’s sprint back and fly. With Toussaint, Kameneva and Dawson heading up the backstroke, West will likely be utilized mostly on fly, especially with the loss of McKeon. France’s Marie Wattel is the team’s other top sprint flyer.

EMILY LARGE

SCM Best Times:

• 100 fly – 58.09
• 200 fly – 2:05.45

Large, the 2017 World Junior champion in the women’s LCM 200 fly, will be key in that event for the Roar after clocking a best of 2:05.45 last year.

Mireia Belmonte and Boglarka Kapas, two of the team’s 200 flyers from last year, have departed, so Large will likely swim that event alongside Holly Hibbott.