Bovell eyes World swim medal

NATIONAL swimming sensation George Bovell has set his sights on climbing atop the medal rostrum during the FINA World Long Course Swimming Cham-pionships.

Bovell, who will turn 20 later this month, will compete in the 200-metres individual medley and the 200 metres freestyle at the Championships, which will take place in Barcelona from July 13-27. Son of 1969 WITCO Sports Personality of the Year George Bovell II, the six-foot-five-inch tall teenager is now at home fine-tuning his strokes in readiness for the annual event. “I can’t say if I’ll win any race, said the younger Bovell on Monday, “but I’m pretty sure, regardless of the competition, that I’ll be aiming for a medal.”

Hard at work at the pool at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Macoya, Tunapuna, with his locally-based club Piranha Aquatics, Bovell has an outstanding chance of collecting a medal, after finishing fourth in the 200m individual medley at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, and seventh the following year in Moscow, Russia. The former St Mary’s College student as well as Boles School in Jacksonville, Florida, Bovell began his collegiate career last year at Auburn University, the school of national track and field stars Darrel Brown and Marc Burns.

Under coach Dave Marsh, he had to overcome a troublesome right elbow injury with lots of rehabilitation work but, “every time I swam, I improved on my times.” Bovell completed his inaugural season with a record-breaking performance at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in March. In the 200-yard IM, Bovell touched the wall in one minute 42.66 seconds, a new NCAA and US Open time. He commented that “the year went well for me, it couldn’t have been any better.”

At Barcelona, Bovell will face the likes of Ian “Torpedo” Thorpe of Australia in the 200m freestyle as well as world record holder American Michael Phelps and reigning World and Olympic champ Italian Massimiliano Rosolino in his pet event, the 200m IM. The lanky swimmer was also high in praise of Piranha coach Anil Roberts, noting, “he has given a lot of his time and effort to ensure that I’m prepared for the World Championships.” Bovell is the current holder of 12 national long course records in both the boys 13-15 and 15-17 age groups, including a time of 2:01.35 in the 200m IM, which he set at Japan, and 1:55.30 in the 200m freestyle. And to show off  his good form, Bovell III smashed the 23-year-old record of 56:60 for  the 100m Butterfly set by Trinidad an Tobago’s first Olympic swimmer Geoffrey Ferreira in April 1980.

Swimming at the Flying Fish Swim Club on Friday last, in time trials organised by the Amateur Swimming Associa-tion, Bovell III recorded a time of 55:97. Coach Anil Roberts believes  this run of form has come at the right time for Bovell III, who will also be leading the National Swim Team in the Pan American Games in August. Bovell III, coach Roberts and father/manager George Bovell II will leave for Spain on July 14.