Kosuke Kitajima to lead Tokyo's International Swimming League team - The Japan Times

Kosuke Kitajima to lead Tokyo's International Swimming League team - The Japan Times

LAS VEGAS – Four-time Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima will head the new Tokyo-based International Swimming League team that will join the series in 2020.

The Tokyo club, which has yet to be named, was unveiled on Saturday in Las Vegas, where the ISL capped its inaugural season with a glitzy finale at the Mandalay Bay event center.

The number of teams in the pro league, which featured over 100 Olympians, will increase to 10 with the addition of new teams in Tokyo and Toronto. They will join the Europe-based Aqua Centurions, Energy Standard, Iron and London Roar, along with Cali Condors, DC Trident, LA Current and NY Breakers in the United States.

“I’m very happy to be given this chance to be part of a big opportunity for swimming in general,” said Kitajima, who said he felt a little left out when he wasn’t approached before the start of the first season.

After watching the two-day final, he said he was impressed not only by the energy of the event but also by the smiles of the swimmers themselves.

“I hope that a lot of Japanese swimmers will be able to participate in this ISL next season,” said Kitajima, who retired in 2016 after a groundbreaking Olympic career that included double breaststroke golds in the 2004 and 2008 Games.

Daiya Seto was the only Japanese swimmer who competed in the ISL’s first season, and he only swam in the finale for Energy Standard. He set a world short-course record with a time of 3:54.81 in the 400-meter individual medley on Friday.

He followed up his world-record win with victories in the 200-meter IM and the 200-meter butterfly on Saturday.

“Japan is one of the world’s leading swimming nations with a large fan base, so we expect to see a very competitive team be developed there and many fans excited to learn of our plans,” ISL founder Konstantin Grigorishin said in a statement.

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2019-12-22 06:58:43Z
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2019/12/22/more-sports/swimming/kosuke-kitajima-lead-tokyos-international-swimming-league-team/
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