OLYMPIC bronze medallist George Bovell III is in good spirits and eager to get back on course to represent Trinidad and Tobago following his recent car accident.
Bovell III was injured in an accident at Manzanilla which put him out of contention for this year’s Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
At a news conference yesterday, the local swimmer stated although he suffered a concussion and other minor injuries, he must undergo one remaining Computerised Axial Tomography (CAT) scan.
This test will be conducted in approximately ten days and will determine if he can resume his training in full. Bovell III explained the problems he is experiencing while trying to get back to fitness.
“I was unable to do any type of training for two weeks due to the seriousness of the accident. I was forced to take another two weeks off before I could even move around.
“The concussion caused my brain to be swollen a bit and my blood pressure was really high. It really was not good for me to do any type of training during that time because I could not have my heart pumping too hard,” he explained.
Bovell III mentioned that he was forced to pull out the Pan American Games because he had not fully recovered and was not able to put in the required training for the competition. He explained that if he did compete at the Pan Am, the result would not have been to his desire.
“I would have only had one month to train and two weeks to rest. You don’t get better (swimming) with just only one month of training. I needed about eight to 12 weeks for my body to adapt and get stronger to get to a faster pace.
“I did not want to go there (Pan Am) knowing I would have a mediocre result,” he added.
But the five-time Pan Am medallist said his Olympic training regimen will commence in November.
The 28-year-old mentioned that he would soon be looking for some international meets to compete in around December. These meets would give him a clearer idea of where he currently is at on the competitive circuit and what he should work on.
“For my Olympic season, I’d like to resume my training next month. I would have to start with a lot of base work and some long, tough endurance training.
“I’ll have to do a lot of fast work with little rest to get back to my desired ability.
“In December, I want to go to some foreign countries to get involved in some competitions. I really won’t be looking at my placing but it would really be for my training and development,” he continued.
“In due course, I am going to start training with track and field athletes and probably some boxers to get back my physical strength. I have already spoken to Boxu Potts and he wanted me to consider doing some training with Tariq Abdul-Haqq for some heavyweight training.
“Personally, I think it’s necessary because these types of exercises will significantly assist me in getting back in the physical form that I’m supposed to be in.”
The Olympic swimmer acknowledged Sports Minister Anil Roberts for his commitment to his swimming.
He said he was pleased to have Roberts still assisting him in some training techniques and development, all free of charge.
Source: www.newsday.co.tt
By Jonathan Ramnanansingh