Olympic champion Adam Peaty showed his fighting spirit on the opening day of the International Swimming League as he kept London Roar in the hunt for the finals in Las Vegas.
An electric opening day of action at the London Aquatics Centre saw the new fast-paced, franchise-based league make its UK debut in front of a sold-out crowd. London is hosting the last leg of the revolutionary new event as four of the eight teams from Europe and the United States compete for a place in the finals next month. And as the reigning 50m and 100m breaststroke world record holder, Peaty was one of the headline names in the pool as he looked to help his London Roar team progress. But the 24-year-old Rio 2016 gold medallist was stunned in the men’s 50m breaststroke event, finishing in fourth as Fabio Scozzoli gave Aqua Centurions their first event win of the day. However, he soon shrugged off that shock result to finish second in the men’s 200m breaststroke as Anton Chupkov of Energy Standard edged him out to take top spot. Peaty also competed alongside his London Roar teammates in the men’s 4x100m relay, once again finishing in second place as Energy Standard 2 proved too strong. Rio 2016 silver medallist Siobhan-Marie O’Connor was also in action on the first of two days but was only able to finish in eighth for London Roar in the women’s 50m breaststroke. She fared better in the 4x100m freestyle relay, though, combining with Bronte Campbell, Marie Wattel and Jeanette Ottesen to finish third behind Energy Standard 2. Elsewhere, Hannah Miley touched the wall in sixth in the women’s 400m individual medley as ‘Iron Lady’ and three-time Olympic champion Katinka Hosszu finished in first. Fellow Scot Duncan Scott, also representing London Roar, was even more impressive on his International Swimming League debut as he took second in the men’s event. Scott also returned to the pool for the men’s 40m freestyle, finishing in seventh as fellow Brit and Energy Standard rival Ben Proud completed the podium in third. Meanwhile, double Olympic silver medallist James Guy touched the wall in fifth in both the men’s 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly for London Roar. The results following the first day means only 14 points separate leaders Energy Standard from London Roar, with Aqua Centurions in third ahead of Iron.