Australian Olympic swimmers to cash in after Tokyo in International Swimming League
Swimming Australia has given the green light for swimmers to be a part of the sport’s new rebel professional league, which aims to lure the best swimmers in the world.
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Australia’s Olympic swimmers are about to take the plunge and enter an NFL-style draft that will allow them to compete in a new multimillion-dollar professional competition starting just after this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
The final details are still being fleshed out but The Daily Telegraph understands dozens of top Australian swimmers will rejoin the rebel International Swimming League (ISL) as soon as the Olympics are over.
Swimming Australia officials have been briefed about the ISL’s ambitious plans — which include a worldwide draft to lure the best swimmers in the world to the breakaway competition — and have given their blessing to anyone who wants to join.
“From what I’ve seen from the first two seasons — and I wasn’t deeply involved — but ultimately we worked together to get the best outcome,” Swimming Australia president Kieren Perkins said.
“Certainly, Australian swimmers that were involved that I know, weren’t in any way impacted negatively in their Olympic pathway. As long as we keep working together, I’m more than happy.”
The brainchild of Ukrainian energy tycoon Konstantin Grigorishin, the ISL was created as an alternative competition to events run by swimming’s official world governing body FINA.
Australian swimmers played a vital role in building support for ISL when it was launched in 2019, signing up and competing for the international franchise teams, based in Europe, Asia and North America.
Most of the Australian swimmers chose to compete for London Roar — run by expat Aussie Olympian Rob Woodhouse — but under the new draft format being introduced this season, swimmers who enter the draft could end up at any of the different franchises.
Emily Seebohm was the only Australian swimmer who competed in season two when international travel was difficult because of the global pandemic and the double Olympic gold medallist confirmed she was signing up for the draft.
“I really don’t want to leave the team I’m already on because we have bonded so well but I just want to be involved next season no matter what so if that means a different team, then that’s fine,” she said.
“For athletes like me, that are sort of getting closer to retirement, ISL gives us something to want to keep training because it’s just fun, it’s about racing and teamwork and all the things that I love the sport, without the pressure that athletes face at the massive meets.”
The draft is due to take place in June with ISL season three starting in August and ending in December.
CHALMERS SETS SIGHTS ON US RIVAL
Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers has set his sights on American swimming juggernaut Caeleb Dressel after safely defending his 100 metres freestyle title at the Australian championships while Rio gold medallist Mack Horton continues to struggle.
Still in heavy training, Horton has not fired a shot all week, failing to make the final of the 100 metres and 200m freestyle, finishing a distant eighth in the 800m then pulling out of the 400m, the event he won in Brazil.
Chalmers, meanwhile, has been hard at work trying to find the tiny little improvements he needs to get his hands on the wall first after he was narrowly beaten by Dressel at the 2019 world titles in South Korea.
Also in heavy training after undergoing shoulder surgery during lockdown, Chalmers isn’t quite there yet but is heading in the right direction after winning the Australian crown in a swift 48.04 seconds.
“I know it‘s just going to get faster,” Chalmers said. “I love racing fast and I don‘t like giving myself excuses of being in hard work. It would have been really nice to crack that 47 but it‘s only my second competition back.”
No freestyle sprinter in the world finishes races faster than Chalmers but the South Australian knows he has to improve his starts to beat Dressel, who is a flyer off the blocks and lethal off the turns.
“It‘s not even necessarily my front end speed, it’s my dive,” Chalmers said. “I know my swim speed is my strength. For me, it’s not necessarily being any faster on the way out, it’s still swimming to my strengths.”
Emma McKeon won the women’s 100m freestyle final in 52.49sec, just ahead of Cate Campbell (52.85sec). Campbell went quicker in the heats but was a fraction slower in the final, which was held in the morning to replicate the program at this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
“It‘s going to be an adjustment for everyone but I have the advantage of being one of the veterans that have done this before in 2008,” Campbell said. “When I reflect back on those Olympics, the fact that it was morning finals doesn‘t really play into it too much. Once everyone’s lined up for a final, you’re ready to go, no matter what time it is.”
McKeon withdrew from Thursday’s 200m freestyle final won by Ariarne Titmus to focus on the sprint and the tactic paid off when she was the only swimmer in the top six to go faster in the final than the heats.
“I find it pretty easy to get up in the morning,” she said. “I think it‘s more of a mental state.
“Once we get to an Olympics, it‘s an Olympic final so no matter what time of day it’s on, you’re gonna be ready to go. In Rio we were swimming at midnight or something, we’ll be ready no matter what.”
Teenage sensation Kaylee McKeown won the women’s 100m backstroke final in 58.60sec, with veteran Emily Seebohm taking second, boosting her hopes of making it to a fourth Olympics after missing the team for the 2019 world championships.
“I feel like I just relaxed on being on the team for so long, I didn’t push myself as hard as I could and I think I really needed that shake up to change my training and train better and really get myself to that Olympics and do a good job if I get there,” Seebohm said.
“I lost a lot of my confidence in my swimming in 2019, I was going through a lot of personal stuff and I think it’s taken me this long to feel confident in the water again and actually feel like I can give it a good crack.”
The teenager Thomas Neill won the 800m, almost a lap ahead of Horton.
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