The Hungarian based Iron team of the International Swimming League will make its debut next weekend in Lewisville, Texas
- See also: New York Breakers’ roster for Lewisville.
- See also: LA Current roster for Lewisville.
Led by superstar, Olympic champion, and World Record holder Katinka Hosszu, the team will take a roster of 13 women and 12 men to Lewisville. That will leave them with a lot of gaps to fill – teams are allowed to bring 14 athletes of each gender, with 2 of those 14 being relay-only. With just 12 men, especially, that will put a lot of pressure on athletes to load up their schedules with 46 slots to fill for each gender.
Absent from previously-announced rosters for Iron on the men’s side will be Norway’s Henrik Christiansen, Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches, Dutch swimmers Jesse Puts and Arno Kamminga, and Hungarian David Verraszto. Puts and Kamminga, for their part, are both entered in the Martinez Cup this weekend, which is a qualifying meet for the Dutch for the European Short Course Championships. Iron has added another Hungarian, Gergely Gyurta, to their roster for this meet. A distance specialist, who is a former European Champion in the 1500 free, his biggest ISL contribution will be in the 400 free and 400 IM.
The stars of that men’s group are Kristof Milak, who at 19-years old broke Michael Phelps’ World Record in the 200 fly this summer, and Vlad Morozov, who is one of the top short course swimmers in the world and is the current FINA World Cup Series points leader for 2019.
The women’s team is closer to full force for Iron, including Dutch swimmer Ranomi Kromowidjojo, who is not going to the Martinez meet. The team will, however, be missing another Dutch swimmer, Kira Toussaint, which is a significant blow given that she swam lifetime bests and broke Dutch Records in both the 50 back (27.49) and 100 back (59.46) in long course last weekend in Berlin at the World Cup. She also swam a lifetime best in the 200 back.
The team will have one of the ultimate difference-makers in the series on the women’s side: the team’s star and icon Katinka Hosszu. Hosszu is the winningest swimmer in the history of the FINA World Cup series, easily, and is a 5-time series champion.
The Iron women have also added a last-minute name to their roster: Russia’s Veronika Andrusenko. She is the Russian Record holder in the 100, 200, and 400 freestyles in short course meters – the course used in ISL meets.
Iron will also feature Gunnar Bentz: the only American swimmer who is signed with a European team.
Iron will race against the New York Breakers, LA Current, and London Roar this weekend in Lewisville, and the weekend after the group will travel to Budapest for an Iron ‘home’ meet.
| WOMEN | MEN |
| Ranomi Kromowidjojo | Robert Glinta |
| Alia Atkinson | Vladimir Morozov |
| Mie Nielsen | Peter John Stevens |
| Fanny Lecluyse | Szabó Szebasztián |
| Jessica Vall | Pieter Timmers |
| Kimberly Buys | Milák Kristóf |
| Hosszú Katinka | Bohus Richárd |
| Jakabos Zsu | Kozma Dominik |
| Késely Ajna | Gunnar Bentz |
| Kim Busch | Telegdy Ádám |
| Veronika Andrusenko | Erik Persson |
| Burián Kata | Gyurta Gergely |
| Jenna Laukkanen |
I think one of the great things about the ISL is the exclusion of any swimmer who has tested positive for banned substances, the announcers mentioned it on the broadcast last Sunday several times. So why is Morozov allowed to swim? From his SwimSwam Bio:
Doping scandal
Morozov was named as a part of the Russian “disappearing positives” program that the World Anti-Doping Agency’s McLaren IP Report alleges was undertaken by the Russian anti-doping regime. He was initially banned from competing in the 2016 Olympic Games but was later reinstated in time to compete in Rio.
Reinstatement or not, he was banned.
The ban was reversed entirely by the CAS. A reversed ban = no ban = allowed to swim in ISL.
This just in:
RUSSIAN DOPING HEAD SAYS RUSSIA MANIPULATED THOUSANDS OF DRUG TESTS
Russian Doping Head Says Russia Manipulated Thousands of Drug Tests
https://staging.swimswam.com/russian-doping-head-says-russia-manipulated-thousands-of-drug-tests/
Switzerland’s Jérémy Desplanches can’t compete in these ISL matches for Iron as he is headed to Wuhan for the World Military Games.
Switzerland has a military?
Mandatory service duty for all male citizens. They are also doing a great part in supporting and funding our top athletes.
MILAK IS HERE!
Predictions for 100/200 fly?
Taking into account that he has just started the travelling around regime, I wouldn’t expect more than a comfortable win in 200 around 1:55. In 100 52 low is likely enough to make the podium.
Oops…totally forgot that this was short course. Sorry, Ignore my comment.
Haven’t seen him enough to know whether he has good underwaters. LeClos and Dressel are monsters in SCM because (in part) of their underwaters. Discuss.
Morozov also
I want a 1000 In the ISL where every 125 starting at the 250 (or some similar pattern) the person in last place is eliminated. It could create some very interesting strategies and be really fun to watch
I’d rather hammer a meat thermometer in my ear.
That does sound like an interesting idea. I feel like the ISL has kind of thrown a lot of shade at distance swimming as ‘boring’ when they could definitely create an event such as the one you’re describing to cater to a broader range of swimmers while also keeping the audience entertained.
I’m impatient for London Roar to announce their team. I really hope it’s not too depleted by British members at the altitude camp.
Not like they need to show up. They’ll destroy the others with basically just the Aussie squad.
Also Fratus just joined for Lewisville
Weird. Is there reasoning behind this?
Behind what, exactly?
How Gunnar is on a European team.
What is actually “weird” in my opinion is having such separate teams.
I wish there was more diversity regarding the rosters
I think this is the first season and swimmers aren’t used to having people from all around ther world in their team on meets. I think Americans, only having once comparison (Duel in the Pool) still have the “TEAM USA vs. THE WORLD” mentality. It’ll change over the next couple of years, I’m sure. Once the tactical aspects of the game have really been driven home by this first season, they’ll make some significant changes to their rosters next year.
Isn’t Cate Campbell the leader in the World Cup Series, not Hosszu?
You’re right, fixed that above.
Is it just me or is it strange that Gunnar Bentz is the only american (I think) that is on a European ISL team.
Keep in mind that each country had an ‘exclusive’ period to sign athletes from that country before the rest of the world could grab them. I think in the excitement, most athletes rushed to sign rather than waiting to see what the market could do for them if they waited.
A couple things….Gunnar has been to many intl meets and he probably knows several of his teammates. Also part of the learning experience is to meet new people in this format. There are a few non Americans on the Cali teams and I am sure they fit in well!
Least it sounds like a European name.