Source: www.guardian.co.tt

By Nigel Simon

Local Olympic bronze medal swimmer, George Bovell III was a sixth placed finisher in the men’s 50 metres freestyle final at the 48th Sette Colli International Swim Open, Rome, Italy, yesterday. In the final, the 27-year-old Bovell III touched the wall in 22.53 seconds to finish ahead of Hungary’s Krisztian Takacs (22.73) and Russian, Sergey Fesikov (22.99) at the Stadio del Nuoto.  The winner was South African, Roland Schoeman who sped home in 22.31 seconds just ahead of home boys Marco Orsi (22.36), and joint third placed swimmers’ Luca Dotta and Andrea Rolla, who both clocked 22.47. Fifth was Finland’s Ari-Pekka Liukkonen (22.50).

Earlier on in the morning heats, Bovell who is competing at the same venue of the 13th FINA World Long Course Swimming Championship two years ago where he placed seventh in the 50 metres freestyle final was the top qualifier in the fifth and final ten-swimmers heat in 22.56 seconds ahead of Takacs (22.80). His time going into the final was the third fastest overall behind Orsi (22.40) and Fesikov (22.52).
The other qualifiers were Dotto and Liukkonen, both in 22.64, Rolla (22.72) and last but not least Schoeman, in 22.81, just ahead of Federico Bocchia (22.82). USA-based 15-year-old T&T swimmer Keegan Boisson-Yates of the Coral Springs club, was sixth in the first heat in 25.16.

Spain’s Aschwin Wildeboer won the final in 25.26 followed by South Africa’s Gerhard Zandberg (25.28) and Great Britain’s Liam Tancock (25.36). Today, Bovell III who earned his Olympic bronze medal in the 200 metres individual medley in Athens Greece 2004 will have a rest day while Boisson-Yates competes in the 100 metres backstroke heats. Tomorrow, Bovell III will return to action when he lines up for the 50 metres butterfly and 100 metres freestyle while Boisson-Yates also competes in the latter. Bovell who then travels to France for the Paris Open next weekend before returning home is using the meets as part of his preparations for the FINA World Long Course Championship in Shanghai, China from July 16 to 31.