2020 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – SEMIFINAL #1
- Saturday, November 14: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM CET (6 AM-8 AM U.S. Eastern, 8 PM-10PM J+1 Japan)
- Sunday, November 15: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM CET (6 AM-8 AM U.S. Eastern, 8 PM-10PM J+1 Japan)
- Duna Arena – Budapest, Hungary
- Short Course Meters (SCM) format
- ISL Technical Handbook
- 2020 ISL Scoring Format
- 2020 ISL Prize Money and Bonuses
- How To Watch
- Teams: Energy Standard / Tokyo Frog Kings / London Roar / New York Breakers
- Omega Results
- Start Lists
The London Roar prevailed in an epic showdown with Energy Standard in the final relay of Semi-final 1, with the two clubs posting the top-two times of the season in the mixed 4×100 free.
The Roar finished in 3:15.17 to go under Energy Standard’s previous fastest of the season (3:15.91), while last season’s champions also eclipsed the mark in 3:15.56.
There were some quick splits across the board, highlighted by Freya Anderson and Siobhan Haughey producing matching 51.04s on their respective club’s anchor legs. We’ll dive into the splits below:
Mixed 400 Freestyle Relay
Male Lead-offs
| Swimmer | Split |
| Markus Thormeyer (TOK) | 46.84 |
| Mikhail Vekovishchev (LON) | 47.00 |
| Shinri Shioura (TOK) | 47.07 |
| Chad Le Clos (ENS) | 47.12 |
| Damian Wierling (NYB) | 47.35 |
| Katsumi Nakamura (LON) | 47.55 |
| Jacob Whittle (NYB) | 47.75 |
| Sergey Shevtsov (ENS) | 47.78 |
Tokyo’s Markus Thormeyer went under his flat-start personal best time in 46.84 to give the Frog Kings an early lead, dipping under his 46.86 from last season. Thormeyer had also gone a season-best 46.97 earlier in the session in the individual event.
Mikhail Vekovishchev, who has split sub-46 with a takeover, was solid for London in 47-flat, just off his swim in the individual event earlier in the day (46.76). For Energy Standard, Chad Le Clos kept them in the mix in 47.12.
Male Flying Splits
| Swimmer | Split |
| Kliment Kolesnikov (ENS) | 45.63 |
| Duncan Scott (LON) | 45.92 |
| Katsuhiro Matsumoto (TOK) | 46.58 |
| Marius Kusch (LON) | 46.64 |
| Ben Proud (ENS) | 46.99 |
| Matthew Richards (NYB) | 47.73 |
| Jan Switkowski (NYB) | 48.23 |
| Bruno Fratus (TOK) | 48.27 |
Kliment Kolesnikov launched Energy Standard into a slight lead at the halfway mark in 45.63, improving on his 45.79 from the 400 free relay on day one. He’s consistently been going sub-46 over the last few matches, with his fastest being a 45.41 in Match 9.
Duncan Scott, who was coming off of setting the British Record in the 200 free not long prior, put up his second sub-46 leg to keep London in it in 45.92. They trailed by just .17 at the 200.
Katsuhiro Matsumoto followed up Thormeyer’s swim in 46.58, putting Tokyo in a good position as they would ultimately hold off London’s ‘B’ team for third.
Female Flying Splits
| Swimmer | Split |
| Freya Anderson (LON) | 51.04 |
| Siobhan Haughey (ENS) | 51.04 |
| Anna Hopkin (LON) | 51.21 |
| Pernille Blume (ENS) | 51.77 |
| Kira Toussaint (LON) | 52.56 |
| Catie Deloof (TOK) | 52.57 |
| Natsumi Sakai (TOK) | 52.72 |
| Lucy Hope (ENS) | 52.83 |
| Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (LON) | 52.84 |
| Alicja Tchorz (NYB) | 53.12 |
| Daria S Ustinova (NYB) | 53.27 |
| Rio Shirai (TOK) | 53.41 |
| Aya Sato (TOK) | 53.43 |
| Mary-Sophie Harvey (ENS) | 53.50 |
| Signe Bro (NYB) | 53.68 |
| Chloe Golding (NYB) | 55.78 |
It was an incredible showing from the four women on the top-two clubs in this race, as they all reeled off 51-second swims, including Anderson and Haughey’s duelling 51.04s. Anderson has been as fast as 50.7 this season, and had a pair of sub-51s on day one, while Haughey has been churning out 51s at will for the last month.
The key leg in giving London the victory was Anna Hopkin, if you consider that Anderson and Haughey cancelled each other out, as she split 51.21 to Pernille Blume‘s 51.77 which put London up by .39 at the 300. Both were right on their fastest swims of the season, with Hopkin having been 51.29 on day one’s medley relay and Blume hitting her best on day one in the 400 free relay at 51.67.
