2020 ISL Grand Final – Day 2 Live Recap

2020 International Swimming League Final – Day 2

• Saturday, November 21: 2:00PM – 4:00PM CET (8 AM  – 10 AM U.S. Eastern, 10 PM  – 12 AM Japan)
• Sunday, November 22: 6:00PM  – 8:00PM CET (12 PM – 2 PM U.S. Eastern, 2 AM  – 4 AM Monday 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 / Cali Condors / London Roar / LA Current
• Day 2 Start Lists
• Day 1 Full Results
• Omega Results

The 2020 International Swimming League grand finale is finally here after more than a month of racing in the Budapest Bubble. After day 1, defending champions Energy Standard have some catching up to do as they sit in 2nd place with 239 points behind the Cali Condors with 267 points. London Roar is currently in 3rd place (199.5 points) and LA Current in 4th (177 points.)

Cali Condor’s Caeleb Dressel is on triple World Record watch today after crushing two World Records on day 1. He is three-tenths off of the World Records in both the 100 free and 50 fly, after he set the ISL 100 free record last week and swam a career best 50 fly the same week. Dressel already set the World Record in the 100 IM this season, but can he do it again? Kliment Kolesnikov also has a chance to lower the 100 back World Record he set yesterday in the lead-off leg of the Energy Standard 4×100 medley relay.

In the MVP race, Dressel has built a pretty insurmountable lead with a total of 408 points in 1st place. But there are 4 swimmers within reach of 2nd place with Ryan Murphy (318) tied for 2nd with Beryl Gastaldello (318) and Lilly King in 4th by one-half of a point. Last season’s MVP, Sarah Sjostrom is currently in 5th with 281 points after she missed a regular season match due to a back injury.

Day 2 will conclude with the skins battles of some of the best breaststrokers in the world. The unbeaten Lilly King out touched 15-year-old Benedetta Pilato (ENS) by .11 in the breaststroke skins race during Match and this will be their first rematch. 50 breaststroke World Record-holder Alia Atkinson (LON) will also be fighting for the win here. With the swimmers spanning 3 different teams, this could mean deciding points for Energy Standard or the Cali Condors.

On the men’s side Energy Standard’s Ilya Shymanovich will take on London Roar’s British national record-holder Adam Peaty, again. Yesterday Shymanovich out touched Peaty in the 50 breast by .02, but Peaty who holds the 2nd fastest 50 breast time this season behind Iron’s Emre Sakci. Today could be anyone’s race.

Follow along and keep refreshing for live updates of the final day of the ISL season 2!

START LISTS

Lane Assignments

• 1 & 2 – London Roar (LON)
• 3 & 4  – Cali Condors (CAC)
• 5 & 6 – Energy Standard (ENS)
• 7 & 8 – LA Current (LAC)

Team Standings After Day 1

Top 5 MVP Standings After Day 1

1. Caeleb Dressel (CAC) – 408
2. Ryan Murphy (LAC) – 318
3. Beryl Gastaldello (LAC) – 318
4. Lilly King (CAC) – 317.5
5. Sarah Sjostrom (ENS) – 281

Live Recap: Annika Johnson, Live Analysis: Reid Carlson

Running Team Scores:

1. CAC – 561.5
2. ENS – 464.5
3. LON – 391
4. LAC – 298

Women’s 100 Freestyle

Beryl Gastaldello out touched Energy Standard’s Siobhan Haughey, who has won this event 4 times this season, by .02.

Beryl Gastaldello and Abbey Weitzeil picked up a much-needed 1-3 finish for the LA Current. Gastaldello charged hard down the final 25 to close on the field. The top-4 finishers ended up all within 0.05 of one another.

No points were stolen as the jackpot time was not eclipsed, though Energy Standard, who needs to rally past Cali today if they are going to defend their title, comes away with 11 points to LA’s 15, though Cali’s takes away just 4, the least in the field. London comes away with 7 points.

Men’s 100 Freestyle

Caeleb Dressel did not break a World Record, but he’ll have another go when he leads off the mixed 4 x 100 freestyle relay later in the session (if he hasn’t fatigued by then… if he fatigues). Still, Dressel’s 45.08 is a new American and ISL Record and earns the Condors 10 points as Dressel also steals Marius Kusch‘s point.

Energy Standard was strong with 2nd and 3rd finishes from Manaudou and Rylov coming away with 13 points to Cali’s 15. LA comes away with just 6 points, though that’s double what London earned.

Energy may not have won either of the first two races, but they are off to a decent start and have a very real shot of defending their title.

Women’s 200 Butterfly

“Last one fast one,” Hali Flickinger said after her win here, finishing 1-2 with her teammate Kelsi Dahlia and racking up the points for the Condor’s. Looking at the team scores, Energy Standard is falling a little behind where they need to be in order to have a chance at winning going into the skins.

Hali Flickinger and Kelsi Dahlia grabbed big points for Cali with their 1-2 finish, as well as Flickinger’s jackpot, coming away with 19 points. Energy Standard, meanwhile, earns 11 points with 3rd and 4th place finishes.

Dahlia will be back racing the 50 fly later while Flickinger will be in the 400 IM and the 200 free. Flickinger is one of the toughest swimmers in the ISL and was last weekend’s 400 IM winner in the second semifinal, so the momentum she gets from a lifetime best here could propel her to another victory (or possibly two) later, which would be huge.

LA and London, meanwhile, don’t fare as well here, coming away with 4 points and 3 points, respectively.

Men’s 200 Butterfly

Energy Standard’s Chad Le Clos pulled off an enormous win in the men’s 200 fly, coming back from almost a second deficit on Tom Shields in the final 50 meters.

Le Clos split his race 24.13-27.74-28.88-27.82, highlighting just how fast that final 50 was. Shields was only 28.5 on the last 50 en route to the American Record.

While the win drew a pile of emotion from Le Clos, it didn’t do much damage to cut into Cali’s margin, with his teammate Kregor Zirk placing just 7th. In fact, Cali, even without a top 2 finisher, matched Energy Standard’s scoring with 12 points each.

Energy Standard is picking up wins, but the Jackpot points aren’t coming in big enough piles to do the damage they need to do. It’s looking more-and-more like they’ll need a big skins upset to win the meet.

Women’s 100 Backstroke

Olivia Smoliga smokes her American Record and scares the World Record in the 100 backstroke, jackpotting one swimmer from London, LA, and Energy Standard each. Smoliga earns 15 points while Sherridon Dressel earns 4 giving Cali 19.

Men’s 100 Backstroke

That was a huge swim for Kolesnikov, the 2nd fastest swim in history behind the World Record he set yesterday on the lead-off leg of Energy Standard’s 400 medley relay.

Kliment Kolesnikov didn’t equal what he did leading off the medley relay yesterday but he got to the wall first to give Energy a much-needed influx of 13 points–9 from Kolesnikov and 4 from Grevers. No swimmer was jackpotted in this heat.

Ryan Murphy and Dylan Carter were strong for LA, grabbing 2nd and 4th for a total of 12 points. We might see LA rally past London by the time this session is over.

Points Update

1. CAC – 341
2. ENS – 305.5
3. LON – 233.5
4. LAC – 225

Womens 100 IM

Beryl Gastaldello nabs her second victory of the day in the 100 IM. LA teammate Gorbenko finished 3rd to give LA 15 points total, a huge detriment to London who finished 5th and 6th for just 7 points total.

Energy Standard finishes 2nd and 7th. Sjostrom was not particularly ‘on’ in this race, and she’ll need to be fast for the relay in order to give Energy a chance at getting past Cali. Gastaldello, though earning points for LA, has done Cali two major favors by denying Energy wins it might have expected, first in the 100 free and now in the IM.

London did nothing special in this race and came away with just 7 points, slipping more towards 4th, though they remain ahead of LA for now, though barely. Beata Nelson and Meghan Small earn Cali only 6 points

Men’s 100 IM

Dressel sets the World Record in this event for the second time this season, taking nearly a second off of the WR in total. This is the 4th 30 point jackpot swim we’ve seen this season and has extended the Condors lead on Energy Standard to 6.5 points.

Dressel was out blazing fast, 3/10th under his World Record at the 50-meter turn, ricocheting off the wall in 22.49. Dressel further distanced himself from the field on breaststroke as he is wont to do, and then produced an incredible underwater as he turned into the final 25 meters.

Dressel smashed his own World Record by 6/10ths, taking the mark down to a 49.28. Teammate Marcin Cieslak finishes 2nd once again meaning that Cali comes away with a total of 37 points as they did last week. Now Cali’s lead over Energy is looking very secure as they sit 383 to 322.5, respectively. With the race today, Dressel has officially taken 0.98 off of Vladimir Morozov’s former World Record.

Women’s 200 Freestyle

Siobhan Haughey has set another Asian Record (following her 400 free record earlier this season, and her 100 free yesterday which lowered her own Asian Record.) With this swim Haughey is now 9 for 9 in the 200 free in her ISL career.  Close behind was Freya Anderson who broke her own British Record by a significant margin of .73

Siobhan Haughey extends her win streak to 9 for 9 in the 200 freestyle and elevates herself to the 2nd-fastest all-time behind Sarah Sjostrom who did not swim this race today. Haughey only stole points from one swimmer, LA’ McLaughlin, coming away with 10 herself and 15 total for Energy thanks to a 4th place finish from Heemskerk.

Freya Anderson had a great swim for London though she couldn’t quite match Haughey, finishing 1:51.87 which is just 2/10ths off her lifetime best. London comes away with 9 points total in this race while LA gets just 4. Cali, meanwhile, gets 9 points from Schmitt and Flickinger, a solid showing for a race that they are relatively less-deep in than the other teams.

Men’s 200 Freestyle

Right after Anderson took down the women’s record, Duncan Scott broke his own British Record in the event with this win. He set the previous record at 1:40.76 during the European Championships in December.

Duncan Scott didn’t crack 1:40 but he was close and maintains his rank as the 3rd-fastest all-time with his 1:40.25 finish today. Scott and teammate Vekoishcev earn London 12.5 points.

Cali’s Townley Haas shattered one of the oldest American Records, set by Ryan Lochte in 2010, putting up a 1:40.49 to shave 6/10ths from Lochte’s former mark and become 5th-fastest all-time. Haas and teammate Majchrzak earn 10.5 points for Cali.

Women’s 50 Butterfly

Maddy Banic gave Energy Standard’s sprint phenom Sjostrom a run for her money here, with a great finish only .07 behind. That 1-2 finish helps ENS work towards catching the Cali Condors, but there were no jackpots here to help them further.

If she didn’t look sharp earlier, Sarah Sjostrom rebounded to win the 50 fly touching 1-2 with Maddy Banic earning Energy 16 points. Cali was not out of it in this race as Kelsi Dahlia and Beata Nelson finished 3rd and 5th for a 10 point haul. Even so, Cali remains comfortably in the lead.

Gastaldello has had a packed session and faded to 4th, but along with teammate Kendyl Stewart still earned LA a combined 7 points. London’s 4 points seem inconsequential, but they need them.

Men’s 50 Butterfly

Dressel takes the 50 fly, jackpotting London’s James Guy in 8th place. For some perspective on how Dressel has been doing, this is his 1st individual race that hasn’t been an American Record in the final. 14 minutes after this race he will swim the 4×100 mind relay for Cali.

Dressel didn’t break the World Record or even the American Record–this is in fact Dressel’s first swim in the ISL Final when he has not broken an American Record–but he still won and stole points from London’s James Guy, giving him a total of 10 points and Cali a total of 13 in the race overall. Tom Shields beat out Chad le Clos for 2nd. Energy only comes out with 8 points while LA emerges with 11. London, meanwhile, only comes away with 5 and is very vulnerable to being overtaken by LA in the final standings.

Points Update

1. CAC – 426.5
2. ENS – 361.5
3. LON – 271
4. LAC – 268

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

Lilly King does it again, jackpotting full points from the last 3 finishers here. Here we had a preview of what the women’s breaststroke skins race could look like later today with King, Hannis, Atkinson, and Pilato.

Lilly King was so close to the World Record but fell just short, hitting the wall in 1:02.50. Though she did not crack Alia Atkinson‘s historic mark she did beat the World Record holder by over a second. The margin of victory for King was great enough to earn her a jackpot and total of 15 points, stealing the points from both swimmers from LA as well as Energy’s Breeja Larson.

Cali’s Hannis comes up 3rd with 6 points bringing Cali’s total to 11. London was strong here with 2nd and 4th place finishes for a total of 12 points. Given that LA got zero points in this race, this is very good for the Roar.

Before the 50 breast, Cali led Energy by 65 points while London led LA by 3. Now, London extends that lead to 15, though that’s still a thin margin and not one swimmers or coaches should feel comfortable with.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke

Adam Peaty broke his own World Record, set in ISL Semifinal #1 at 55.49. This was an important finish for Energy Standard’s Ilya Shymanovich, and a similar preview to the en’s breaststroke skins race coming up in 4 events.

Despite a long finish, Adam Peaty got underneath his week-old World Record with a 55.41 and took the win in the 100 breaststroke. Energy’s Ilya Shymanovich took 2nd and tied Peaty’s now-former World Record in 55.49. While we’ve come to associate World Records with jackpots fans must remember that the margin of victory is also vital in determining whether points get stolen, and the men’s breaststroke was a fast heat. Despite Peaty’s performance, no points were stolen.

Cali’s Nic Fink placed 3rd and Kevin Cordes 5th to bring the Condors 10 points. London’s Prigoda added another 5 points to London’s total with his 4th-place finish to give the Roar a total of 15 in this race. LA falls back and only takes away 3 points with 7th and 8th place finishes. With this race we see London putting a little more distance between themselves and the Current with whom they are in a battle for 3rd, or rather, with whom they are fighting not to get last.

4 x 100 Mixed Freestyle Relay

Energy Standard racked up some crucial points here with this 1-3 finish whereas London Roar’s relay disqualification cost them 4 points. This brings the Condor’s lead going into the 400IM’s to 70 points.

45.95 is not a slow 100 freestyle, but it is kind of slow for Dressel, though he was only 14 minutes removed from his 50 fly victory and he still got his hand on the wall first among the lead-off swimmers. Despite Dressel’s early lead, Cali’s ‘A’ team faded to 2nd and fell to Energy Standard’s ‘A’ team. Energy’s ‘B’ team placed 3rd to give them a huge influx of 32 points over Cali’s 20.

Energy’s ‘A’ team was bolstered by a 45.44 split from Manaudou, a 51.01 from Sjostrom, and a 51.18 from Haughey. Freya Anderson put up a big 50.83 anchoring London’s ‘A’ team which placed 5th for 8 points, but London was hurt by a disqualification of their ‘B’ team which takes away 4 points from the 8 they would otherwise have from the ‘A’ team’s finish.

Olympic 50 free champ Pernille Blume also produced a notable 51.16 for Energy’s ‘B’ team.

Points Update

1. CAC – 477.5
2. ENS – 407.5
3. LON – 301
4. LAC -285

Women’s 400 IM

Sydney Pickrem was the star of the women’s 400 IM thanks to her massive back-half. Though Flickinger led at 200, Pickrem made her move on breaststroke. By the 300-meter turn, Pickrem led Flickinger by nearly 4 seconds. Flickinger was quick on the freestyle and made up much of the deficit, splitting 30.31 and 28.90 for a total of 59.21 to Pickrem’s 1:02.10, though Pickrem got to the wall first.

London earns 18 points here, huge for them in their battle with LA for 3rd. Energy, meanwhile, get 10 to Cali’s 8.

Men’s 400IM

Points Update

1. CAC – 491.5
2. ENS – 424.5
3. LON – 330
4. LAC – 296

Women’s Skins – 50 Breaststroke

Round 1

King and Hannis punch their tickets through to round 2 with King producing a massive 28.96. Pilato and Atkinson also advance. King looks very in command so round 2 will be a battle between the 3 veterans and the teen Pilato who carries a lot of pressure for her team to stay in the race for the title.

Round 2

Atkinson had a great start and exceptional first 25, but King and Hannis charged hard on the 2nd 25 and punched their way though to the final. Hannis only out-touched Atkinson by 0.12 but that’s all it takes to ensure the triple points of the skins. Mathematically, Cali cannot lose at this point.

Round 3

This all-Cali final great extended the Condors lead. Going into the mens skins the Condors now have 546.6 points compared to Energy Standard’s 439.5 points.

Lilly King wins her 5th skins competition of the season, out-racing Molly Hannis in the 3rd round of the skins. King also improves her chances of earning runner-up in the overall MVP standings–Caeleb Dressels is far-and-away the MVP leader and even if he gets knocked out in the first round of the men’s skins, he will win that accolade.

Lilly King and Molly Hannis have been invaluable for the Condors this season, especially in the skins. Much of the ‘Dors victory today is thanks to King’s triple in the 50, 100, and 200 breast, and especially here in the skins.

Men’s Skins – 50 Breaststroke

Round 1

Adam Peaty lowers the British Record in heat 1 of the skins, popping a 5.41. 200 breast champ Kirill Prigoda finished 2nd to get 2 into the semifinal for London while Shymanovich advances for Energy and Nic Fink for Cali, out-touching Caeleb Dressel by 1/10th, knocking Dressel out in the first round.

Round 2

It looked precarious, but Adam Peaty got to the wall to touch 2nd and advance to the final of the 50 breaststroke skins. Cali’s Fink finishes 3rd, though the Condors are still comfortably the victors of this ISL season, while Prigoda was also knocked out and placed 4th.

Shymanovich is a great racer, but Energy’s choice to take on Peaty in the skins was an interesting one, though perhaps the best option they had.

Round 3

Adam Peaty didn’t choose this skins, but he is the one who won it today. Shymanovich placed 2nd though Cali’s lead was insurmountable.

The final score has Cali coming out nearly 100 points ahead of Energy Standard, a huge turnaround from last season.

Final Team Scores