Unbeaten so far this year in competition, T&T Olympic and World Championship bronze medal swimmer George Bovell III touched down in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday, ahead of the 15th FINA World Long Course Swimming Championship with expectations of some quick times.
He will start competing on August 2, in the preliminary heats with the semifinals and final carded for a day later at the Palau Sant Jordi Swimming and Synchronized Arena which has a seating capacity of 12,000 spectators.
The other members of the T&T contingent, Joshua and Abraham, along with coach Joseph Mc Leod, their father and team manager, George Bovell III’s father, George Bovell II arrived in Barcelona earlier in the week.
Commenting on his final set or preparations at his Michigan Wolverines camp, Bovell said, “The past few weeks have been winding down or as we say in swimming tapering with the intention of peaking at the world champs.
“I have adapted my training style and incorporated some new things in my training and am excited to see how they pay off. I hope to improve on my performances in London, and I believe that if I can get down into the vicinity of a 21.55 seconds timing from the 21.77 I went in London it will surely get on top that podium.
“The competition as always is going to be very fast and I know the races will be very close, so there won’t be any room to play around in the heats or semi-finals. Bovell who was fifth in the 50m freestyle finals 10 years at the same Barcelona Pool and seventh in Shanghai, China, two years ago said in 22.04 said he is ready to challenge the World's top sprinters.
However, the T&T bronze medallist in the World Short Course Championship last December said he was mindful of the medal threats posed by USA’s Anthony Ervin, his newest rival and 2001 winner as well as another American in Nathan Adrian, James Magnussen from Austraili, Vladimir Morrizov from Russia and Florent Manadou and Fred Bousquet from France as well as 2005 champion Roland Schoeman of South Africa.
Following the Championship, Bovell will turn his attention to the FINA World Cup in which he was second overall last year to Ervin.