Bovell 3rd in 50m free at World Championships
Another day, another record for ace Trinidad and Tobago swimmer George Bovell, who yesterday blazed to a 50-metre freestyle national record 21.51 seconds swim, which landed him FINA World Championships long course bronze in Barcelona, Spain.
What made Bovell’s swim at the Palau Sant Jordi pool all the more impressive is the fact that he did so from lane eight after scraping into the final a day earlier.
There was no stopping Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho, who secured a hat-trick of titles in the 50m free with a 21.32 swim. The 50-free world record holder also won in 2009 in a championship record 21.08, and in 2011 when clocking 21.52.
Second was Russian Vladimir Morozov, who touched the wall in 21.47.
As in the semi-final, Bovell’s reaction time of 0.71 seconds was the worst in the field, but he still ensured T&T reached the podium for the first time at a World Long Course Championships. At the 25-metre mark, he was level with the field, but a strong final 25 brought Bovell to the wall just behind the leaders after Cielo had made his move.
Bovell’s effort was good enough to beat Adrian Nathan (USA, 21.60) and Florent Manaudou (France, 21.64), the reigning Olympic 100m free and 50m free champions respectively, into fourth and fifth.
Also in the final were USA’s Anthony Ervin—a former world and Olympic champion in the 50 free, South Africa’s Roland Schoeman (21.85) and Frenchman Frederick Bousquet (21.93), who finished sixth to eighth in that order.
Not only is it a new personal record for Bovell but a new national record in the 50 free. It was just the time the swimmer was looking for, as he told the Express on Friday that he needed to clock 21.5 to secure a medal.
It is Bovell’s third bronze medal in top-level world competition, after he medalled in the 200 IM at the 2004 Olympics, and the 100 IM at the short course “Worlds” last year.
Sport Minister Anil Roberts praised the T&T swimmer, describing yesterday as an “historic day for Trinidad and Tobago”.
“(It was) a phenomenal swim,” Roberts told CCN TV6 from Barcelona. “He beat the world’s best. He beat the Olympic champion Manaudou, he beat Nathan Adrian the Olympic champion last year in the 100m freestyle, and got up on the podium from lane eight. A fantastic finish, and his finish in the last five metres was the best he has ever seen.”
Amateur Swimming Association of T&T (ASATT) president Lindsay Gillette hailed Bovell’s achievement as “fabulous”. He pointed out that the Olympic medallist has done the hard work in training, and is equipped with “a very good coach” in Roberts.
Gillette said national swimming continues to make strides with a number of the younger swimmers performing well at home and in the US, and said Bovell’s achievements will further inspire young swimmers. It is very timely, he said, that the national aquatic centre, now under construction, is scheduled for completion next year.
The ASATT head also had words for Bovell’s critics. “(To) the detractors who were saying he should retire (after finishing seventh in the Olympic 50 free final), perseverance is important. George has proved it. It tells people listen, be careful what you say. We must continue to support our athletes regardless,” he said.
Gillette added: “George is a very dedicated individual; swimming is his life. He has (had) his downs before, but he is the kind of individual (where) being down makes him work harder to do better and great things, and (Worlds bronze) is the result.”
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