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Read the five biggest stories of the week in The Week That Was sponsored by Suitmate. This week was highlighted by Ilya Shymanovich taking down a world record, Ryan Murphy setting an ISL and US record, ISL playoff matches, and two retirement announcements.
Week That Was #1: Ilya Shymanovich Swims 55.28 to Take Down World Record in 100 Breaststroke
Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
One week after Shymanovich of Belarus and Energy Standard swam a 55.32 to break his own world record in the men’s 100 breast by two hundredths, he did it again during the fifth playoff match. Here, Shymanovich went out in 25.85, just off his opening-half pace of 25.77 from last week, but then he closed in 29.43 to touch in 55.28 for the new record. Shymanovich out-split the entire heat by more than a second on the second 50.
Shymanovich won by more than two seconds as Energy teammate Felipe Lima touched in 57.34. That barely got Lima inside the 2.1-second jackpot margin, but Shymanovich jackpotted the other six swimmers in the field, including third-place finisher Tommy Cope of DC Trident (57.57). Shymanovich scored 30 points on his own, and Lima scored seven — so Energy Standard scored 37 points here while no other team scored a single point. That is the exact same outcome as what transpired in Thursday’s 50 breast.
Week That Was #2: Ryan Murphy Sets US & ISL 50 Back Record: London Roar Into Lead After Day 1 Of Match 5
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Murphy set a new US and ISL 50 backstroke record as London Roar ended day one of playoff match five at the head of the standings.
Murphy touched the wall in 23.53 to take 0.01 off his own record of 23.54 set in November 2020 in Budapest and also won the 200 back.
Week That Was #3: ISL Playoff Match 6, Day 2: Cali Condors Surge to Another Victory
Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL
Entering the final day of the final semifinal match Sunday, there’s not much left to settle ahead of the ISL Grand Final. With Energy Standard (on 11 points) and London Roar (10), two of the spots in the final are spoken for. Anything above last place guarantees the Cali Condors will improve on their seven points to grab a third spot.
That just leaves Toronto Titans (5 team points) needing a win to jump past LA Current (8 points) and into the final. But the Titans were in last place after the first day of competition and drastically shorthanded on the men’s side, robbing oxygen from that storyline and depriving a chance for a different foursome in the Grand Final for the first time in the league’s three seasons. Though the Aqua Centurions had a shock lead after Day 1, the four team points they could stand to take would matter little for their hopes of advancing, with just three points after their last two matches.
Week That Was #4: Two-Time Olympic Medal-Winning Diver Jennifer Abel Announces Retirement
Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports Images
Olympic diver Jennifer Abel, who won medals at the 2012 and 2021 Olympics, announced her retirement this week.
Abel made the announcement on Instagram on Tuesday. A day later, she and her fiancé, professional boxer David Lemieux, announced that they are expecting their first child.
The 30-year-old won bronze in the women’s 3-meter synchro diving at the 2012 London Olympics with Emilie Heymans. Nine years later, she paired with Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu to win silver in Tokyo. Abel and Pamela Ware finished fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Abel was also fourth in the individual 3-meter. She was sixth in that event in London in 2012 and eighth in Tokyo.
Week That Was #5: Commonwealth 400IM Champion & Three-Time Olympian Aimee Willmott Confirms Her Retirement
Aimee Willmott: Photo Courtesy: Swim England
Commonwealth 400IM champion Willmott has confirmed her retirement after an 11-year senior international career that featured two Olympic finals.
The Briton last competed at Tokyo 2020 in which she finished seventh in the 400IM, matching her result from Rio 2016.
That followed her silver in the long medley at the European Championships in Budapest in May, her third medal over five editions.
The 28-year-old had spoken before Tokyo about her intention to retire and on Thursday she confirmed that her own competitive days were over.
