Kolesnikov Sets WR, Continental Marks For Haughey & Pilato; Roar Look To Day Two, Day New

Kliment Kolesnikov: Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL

Energy Standard head coach James Gibson said the Grand Final of ISL Season Two was “going to be a dogfight” and so it proved to be as day one drew to a close with the defending champions in second, 27.5pts behind leaders Cali Condors.

Kliment Kolesnikov set a world record of 48.58 in the 100m back on the lead-off the medley relay as Energy touched first with Gibson settling on breaststroke as the stroke of choice for Sunday’s skins.

Siobhan Haughey set an Asian record of 50.94 on the lead-off of the 4×100 free with the Energy quartet winning in a world’s best time of 3:25.37 and was second in the 400 free.

Benedetta Pilato equalled Ruta Meilutyte‘s European 50br record of 28.81 – a mark the Lithuanian has owned since December 2014.

Ilya Shymanovich: Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS / ISL

Ilya Shymanovich sprung a surprise in the 50br when he out-touched Adam Peaty to take maximum points for Energy.

Breathless stuff.

Evgeny Rylov took Energy’s first win of the session in the fourth race, the 200 back. Second to Ryan Murphy after 50, the two-time world long-course champion accelerated to the head of the field.

Out in 51.77, Rylov was rattling the world record and left Murphy in his slipstream in 1:46.37 to leave Mitch Larkin’s global mark of 1:45.63 from 2015 still intact.

Haughey swam to the Asian mark on the lead-off for Energy in the women’s 4×100 free relay as they led from start to finish to lower the world’s best time.

Splits: Haughey 50.94/Pernille Blume 51.59/Femke Heemskerk 51.29/Sarah Sjostrom 51.55

Sjostrom had been touched out by 0.03 in the 100 fly as the session opened with LA Current’s Beryl Gastaldello continuing her red-hot form.

The Swede though took first in the 50free, leading home an Energy one-two with Femke Heemskerk and anchored the women’s medley relay to third, overhauled by an astonishing swim from London Roar’s Freya Anderson – more of which later.

Benedetta Pilato: Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS / ISL

It’s easy to forget that Pilato is just 15 given her impact on the senior international stage. Silver in the 50 breaststroke at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju at 14-years-old was then followed by gold over the same distance at the European Short-Course Championships in Glasgow in December last year.

She set a new Italian mark of 29.85 in the long-course Foro Italico pool at this year’s Sette Colli and she is the holder of the 50 and 100 national records in short-course metres.

On Saturday, Pilato came back at early leader Alia Atkinson following the turn only to be out-touched by Lilly King who quite simply wins races, be it through domination or the tightest of touches in the tightest of tussles.

The first three women home – King, Pilato and Atkinson – were separated by 0.11 with the Italian only 0.03 behind the American. Much to come – of that there is absolutely no doubt.

Le Clos was second in the 100 fly in 48.85 – more than a second adrift of Caeleb Dressel who took down the South African’s world record.

The pair embraced following the race, a gesture by Le Clos much appreciated by Dressel who told the ISL:

“I can’t speak highly enough of Chad. I’m a pretty sore loser to be honest so for him to come over to me after that race and tell me good job….So kudos to Chad – that meant more to me than he knows.”

Florent Manaudou was second in the 50 free as Caeleb Dressel set his second world record of the session.

The Frenchman – whose own world record of 20.26 was eclipsed by Dressel at the 2019 grand final in Las Vegas – stopped the clock at 20.60, 0.44 adrift.

He anchored the 4×100 free to first – in which Kolesnikov had the fastest Energy split of 45.25 and the second in the entire field behind only Dressel – and brought them home in first in the medley relay.

Shymanovich led from the start to hold off Peaty in the 50br, 25.48 to 25.50 to add to his fourth spot over 200m.

Danas Rapsys left it late in the 400 free and could not reel in Roar’s Tom Dean to finish second in 3:36.75.

Emily Seebohm was second in the 200 back, a finish replicated by Mary-Sophie Harvey over 50 back with Rylov sharing third with London’s Guillherme Guido in the men’s race.

All the while accruing more points, never letting Cali shrug them off and move away.

Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS/ISL

Gibson said:

“It was a very close day. We just missed out on some of these very tight finishes. A couple of results didn’t go our way but it is still very, very close.

“And the fact us and Cali have got that one skins selection each is going to make for a very interesting day tomorrow.”

At the time of speaking Gibson had not yet chosen breaststroke for the skins and he said:

“Kliment leading off with a world record is going to make us think a little bit about backstroke, we’ve got two great backstrokers but then the other teams are strong as well.

“To be honest it will be tactics, it will be trying to play where Caeleb is not swimming. Let’s be honest, let’s not avoid the elephant in the room there.

“We are just concentrating on our own team – we have got to step up a bit tomorrow.

“Cali came out swinging and (with) Caeleb and sometimes you’ve just got to take your hat off to great swimming and he was exceptional and we’ve just got to try and be a bit better tomorrow.”

Three Wins For Roar But Day Two, Day New For Marshall

London Roar start day two in third place with 199.5pts – 22.5 ahead of LA Current – after three wins on the first day courtesy of Sydney Pickrem, Kirill Prigoda and Dean.

There was more fire from Freya Anderson who produced a split of 50.44 to anchor the medley relay to second.

Prigoda got Roar’s first win when he took the 200 breaststroke after leading from the outset in 2:01.71.

Kirill Prigoda: Photo Courtesy: MIKE LEWIS/ISL

Peaty was fifth in 2:02.89 – a PB which propelled him to third British all-time behind only Michael Jamieson (2:01.83) and Andrew Willis.

That followed a two-three finish by Pickrem and Annie Lazor in the women’s 200br that was won by King although the Canadian was eating into her lead with every stroke on the fourth 50.

She won the 200IM, taking over on the breaststroke leg to win by 2.30 seconds in 2:04.00 – a new Canadian record.

Andreas Vazaios and Duncan Scott were second and third respectively in the men’s 200IM with the latter not in the 50 free in which the Roar pair were sixth and eighth.

Neither did world-record holder Kira Toussaint figure in the 50 back where her team-mates occupied seventh and eighth.

But Dean produced a superb performance for his second win in the 400 free, holding off the late charge of Rapsys to win in 3:36.56.

Dean is coached by Dave McNulty at the National Centre Bath alongside Anderson and James Guy among others.

He was on fine form in early 2020, winning the 200/400 double at the Edinburgh International Meet, before his Tokyo hopes were extinguished for a year.

Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL

He said:

“I am really happy. Moving on from the semi-final is always a good thing and it is just nice to get another PB.

“Absolutely there is more there: I know I can go out faster. Try to keep it long and strong that first 100 and still have a back end so there is more there for sure.”

Of Roar’s prospects, he added:

“There’s work to be done but there are positives to take away from it. Mel (coach Mel Marshall) was just saying there ‘day two, day new’ so we’ll start with a fresh slate and hit it hard tomorrow.”

Luke Greenbank set a British record of 1:48.65 when coming fourth in the 200 back, one spot ahead of team-mate Christian Diener.

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