{"id":403452,"date":"2019-11-23T10:09:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T17:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=403452"},"modified":"2019-11-24T04:16:58","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T11:16:58","slug":"roars-minna-atherton-sinks-her-teeth-into-200-back-standards-as-energy-surges-to-day-1-lead-at-isls-european-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/roars-minna-atherton-sinks-her-teeth-into-200-back-standards-as-energy-surges-to-day-1-lead-at-isls-european-derby\/","title":{"rendered":"Roar’s Minna Atherton Sinks Her Teeth Into 200 Back Standards As Energy Surges To Day 1 Lead At ISL’s European Derby"},"content":{"rendered":"

International Swimming League, London: European Derby, Day 1<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

London Roar, Energy Standard, Team Iron, Aqua Centurions<\/em><\/p>\n

Highlights of day 1:<\/strong> Minna Atherton, of London Roar, goes 1:59.25 in the 200m backstroke to fall just 0.02sec shy of the World record<\/a> as she takes down her own Commonwealth and Australian standard; and Energy mates Chad Le Clos and Florent Manaudou help their team to a leading position going into day 2 on return to the pool where they claimed Olympic gold back at London 2012<\/a>. For Le Clos, it was his first time back in the Aquatics Centre where he pipped Michael Phelps for the 200m butterfly\u00a0<\/em>crown.<\/i><\/p>\n

London Roar<\/strong> and Energy Standard<\/strong> have both won two matches each. By tomorrow evening here at the London Aquatics Centre, a 2012 Olympic Games converted to a short-course theatre of speed and light for the European Derby of the International Swimming League (ISL)<\/strong><\/a> this weekend, one of the two top teams based on this continent will have suffered its first defeat.<\/p>\n

(See race reports Below, chronologically bottom to top – and RACE VIDEOS<\/strong>).<\/em><\/p>\n

In all likelihood, both will claim a ticket to the Final-Match showdown of the League in Las Vegas on December 20-21, though Team Iron will do all it can to muscle in on the action, its best efforts and those of Aqua Centurions bound to sway the fray.<\/p>\n

Day 1 confirmed that likely outcome, Energy Standard atop the leaderboard on 238, London Roar much closer than it might have been, on 224, after the disqualification of Energy’s second 4x100m freestyle quartet in the curtain-closing battle. \u00a0What had looked like being a lead for Energy of more than 30, possibly 40, points, was reduced to just 14. Roar lives to fight another day at this two-day match.<\/p>\n

\"Energy

Energy Standard coach James Gibson, left, looks on as one of his teams wins the women’s 400 freestyle relay.<\/p><\/div>\n

In such frenetic, tight, multi-event racing, a DQ capable of throwing the entire match, nothing could be taken for granted, as Adam Peaty’s<\/strong> fourth-place finish in the 50m breaststroke confirmed. The Vegas ticket may well be reasonably secure but Peaty emerged from day one booth bruised but buoyed after he followed a fourth place over 50m with a second place ion the 200m.<\/p>\n

It was not his first defeat in the dash, especially short-course, the European s\/c champion Fabio Scozzolli<\/strong>, for Aqua, ahead of him again this day, two years after the same outcome in championship waters in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n

Even so, the momentary hush in the crowd was audible. Fourth? There’s a rare moment for the big beast of Roar. It left the home pride trailing Energy 86 to 79 points by the first break of the Match.<\/p>\n