T&T’s George Bovell III went two places better than his 100m freestyle performance, splashing to the gold medal in the men’s 50m freestyle at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invitational Swim Meet on Saturday night. Competing at the final event on the night’s programme at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Centre, the 28-year-old raced home in 22.11 seconds, ahead of NCAA 100m freestyle champion, Jimmy Feigen (22.21) and Chris Brady (22.78). Bovell described the win as huge. “I didn’t feel fast this morning so I am happy with the way I turned everything around mentally.” Bovell explained the race was not a straight forward one as he was twice thrown off by the starter. “The starter called us back from the take your marks position and I almost dove in. Then the second time, I had just exhaled all my air and was not able to take a full breath in time.
“Normally I don’t breathe for the duration of the lap. This also caused me to rush the start and because of that I wasn't as explosive. Despite that it was a fast time and I am grateful for the learning experience and the exercise in pressure taking. When it comes to the Olympics you must be good enough even on a bad day,” he ended. The other finishers in the 50m freestyle A-final were Garrett Weber-Gale (22.90), Bobby Savulich (23.17), Kevin Frankenfeld (23.35), Charlie Moore (23.52) and Madison Wenzler (23.73). In the heats, Bovell (49.84) who was beaten into third spot in Friday’s 100m freestyle final by Feigen (48.63) and Michael Phelps (49.05) was the fastest qualifier in 22.46. Last night, Bovell III, went after his third medal when he lined up in the 100m backstroke. He qualified as the second fastest in 56.71, well behind Matt Thompson’s, 56.20.
Reflecting on his 100m backstroke event, Bovell said it was a solid effort but he will need to put out more energy and swim smarter if he is to win gold. “I came in a little flat this morning (yesterday), feeling the effects of four sessions of back-to-back racing so hopefully I can find the energy for something special tonight (last night).” Bovell warned that a personal best time was possible if he held back on his kick a bit in the beginning to save some gas for the home stretch. He said he was very pleased with his performances so far, since the technical changes he made are now bearing fruit. Also in the 100m backstroke final were Patrick Murphy (56.80), Cole Cragin (57.65), Sam Tierney (57.90), Brady (58.01), Kip Darmody (58.40) and Kevin Doak (58.58).
-Nigel Simon
Source: www.guardian.co.tt