Just under three weeks out from the 2015 Duel in the Pool we have our first roster change and it’s on the European All Stars’ side. Scottish breaststroker, Craig Benson, who trains at the University of Stirling, has been added to the line-up, per his Twitter announcement below:
Really excited to represent the European All Stars team for ‘Duel in the Pool’ in Indianapolis against the US! ??vs?? ???
— Craig Benson (@CraigBenson94) November 25, 2015
Benson tells SwimSwam that he was contacted last week regarding the opportunity, of which the 21-year-old breaststroking ace says he is so very excited. Scottish Swimming has also confirmed Benson’s place on the roster.
What isn’t clear, is if Benson is actually an ‘addition’, or if the World Cup silver medalist will be replacing someone. Although event assignments are still to be announced, Europe’s original line-up released earlier this month included two breaststrokers. Both Daniel Gyurta from Hungary and Andrew Willis from Great Britain were originally scheduled to swim at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis, therefor, Benson is either a 3rd breaststroker added to the mix, or he may be replacing one of these swimmers.
The highly-anticipated Duel in the Pool takes place December 11th and 12th. Here is a refresher of the rosters, as initially released:
Andrew Wilson might be American, but Andrew Willis is British
Andrew Wilson is American. But yes there already two Europeans and hopefully, Benson is the third. The top 4-5 American breastrokers are all slated to race this meet.