Wood sets British record in stunning ISL display
LOUGHBOROUGH swimmers have been making waves in Budapest as the second season of the International Swimming League (ISL) gathers pace.
Adam Peaty was a victor in the Men’s 50m Breaststroke on Friday for London Roar and then placed second in the 100m category, while Anna Hopkin anchored the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay quartet to second place which kept their London Roar’s rivals at bay in an intriguing match.
A dramatic skins finale ultimately saw Roar finish as overall winners with 499 points, ahead of LA Current (487.5) in second, the third-placed Tokyo Frog Kings (446.5) and DC Trident (287) in fourth.
Abbie Wood continued her outstanding ISL form with a second win of the 2020 campaign on day one of match six in Budapest – and Joe Litchfield also turned in another promising display for the New York
Breakers.
Wood, going from strength to strength under the guidance of David Hemmings at the Loughborough National Centre, earned her maiden ISL victory in the Women’s 400m Individual Medley on Tuesday.
Five days later, the 21-year-old added a 200m Individual Medley success to that inaugural triumph, surging into an early lead on the butterfly leg and never relinquishing it. The performance saw Wood set a new British short-course record, as well as ensuring she brought home a huge 19 points for her Breakers team, stealing points from four of her rivals under the new jackpot system.
Only moments before, Litchfield had boosted New York’s hopes of a positive overall result by touching second in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley, building on third-place finishes in that same event in the Breakers’ first two matches.
Later in the night, Joe – a Loughborough training partner of Wood’s – finished well to record a placing of third in the Men’s 50m Backstroke, as he continues to display his strength across the board.
In the women’s event, Georgia Davies was just as impressive over the second 25m, surging to the wall to finish third for reigning ISL champions Energy Standard with a strong swim.
There was also a six-point haul for third for Molly Renshaw in the Women’s 200m Breaststroke, clocking a short-course personal best in the process, with Jocelyn Ulyett – coached by Ian Hulme at Loughborough University – narrowly behind her compatriot in fourth.
Meanwhile, the relays again saw plenty of British involvement, with Wood and Sarah Vasey playing their part in ‘podium’ placings for New York.
First, Wood showed her versatility by putting in a strong leg in the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay, with her Breakers quartet finishing third.
Then, in the penultimate event of the evening at the Duna Arena, Vasey – who trains under Mel Marshall in the Loughborough National Centre – took on the breaststroke section of the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay, a race that again finished in a six-point haul and third place for New York’s fastest foursome.
On Monday, Abbie Wood was agonisingly close to completing the clean sweep of Individual Medley wins when she finished second in the Women’s 100m IM, a mere 0.14 seconds off victory. She then went on to get the same result in the 400m category.
She said: “To come away with a handful of personal bests and a British record, it’s more than I ever thought I’d do. Being on the Breakers has been such a laugh. There’s no pressure on us and it’s starting to reflect in the swimming. I think we are getting stronger and stronger in each meet.”
Joe Litchfield, meanwhile, touched third in the Men’s 100m Individual Medley after a strong opening half of the race.
Molly Renshaw – another of David Hemmings’ swimmers to be catching the eye for New York Breakers in Budapest – got her second ‘podium’ finishes in as many days, tying for third in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke as her performances continue to progress nicely.
The final results from match six saw Energy Standard reinvigorate their title defence with a huge 609-point tally, with Toronto Titans on 448 in second, the Breakers third on 354.5 and fourth-placed Aqua Centurions on 290.5.
The action resumes with a double header on Thursday and Friday.