T&T’s Olympic and World Short Course Championships bronze medal swimmer, George Bovell, cruised to victory in the men’s 50m breaststroke finals and 100m freestyle at the Canada Cup in Montreal on Friday night. The 29-year-old Bovell won in 28.22 seconds ahead of Warren Barnes (28.55) and Richard Funk (28.90) in the ten-man final on the penultimate night of competition at the Parc Jean-Drapeau. The other finishers in the final were Kyle Duckitt (28.92), Konrad Bald (29.16), Ian Blechta (29.43), Bruno Ortiz (29.51), Jake Armstrong (29.91), Jeremie Dery-Bergeron (30.52) and David Nowicki (30.82). Earlier on Friday morning in the 77-man field heats, Bovell touched the wall in 29.14 seconds to share top honours with Club Wolverine clubmate, Funk, and just ahead another Club Wolverine entrant, Duckitt who clocked, 29.17. Bald (29.34), Warren Barnes (29.45), Blechta (29.45), Ortiz (30.11), Dery-Bergeron (30.16), Armstrong (30.20) and Nowicki who touched the wall in 30.21 were the others qualifiers. Last night, Bovell was also expected to compete in the 50m butterfly finals after he qualified as the fourth fastest qualifier overall. Ortiz was the top qualifier in 24.83 seconds ahead of his brother, Miguel Ortiz (25.24), Christopher Bezeau (25.23) and Bovell, 25.50. The other swimmers to secure places in the 50m butterfly final were Oliver Lee (25.71), David Sharpe (25.84), Marc Muise (26.00), Alexandre Magnan (26.13), Mirando Jarry (26.18) and Michael Sinila (26.21). Bovell also led the way in the men’s 100-m freestyle with a time of 50.13 as Club Wolverine of Michigan took the top five spots with his team-mates Anders Nielsen (51.03), Junya Koga (51.31), Miguel Ortiz (51.36) and Bruno Ortiz (51.63) next in line. The other finishers were Blake Worsley (51.66), Hassaan M Abdel Khalik (51.94), Aly Abdel-Khalik (51.98), Christopher Manning (52.61) and Evan Van Moerkerke (52.76). In the morning heats, Nielsen was the top qualifier in 51.15 followed by Worsley (51.60), Ortiz (M) 51.74, Hassaan (51.95), Koga (51.99), and Bovell, in 52.14. Speaking after his double-gold swim, Bovel who is undefeated in finals this season said, “It was a solid night with two wins with a 100m freestyle time of 51.13 and then 28.22 in the 50m breaststroke. He added, “Both were great in season times that felt smooth and easy and the 100m freestyle time is actually the same time that I went last year before the London Olympics Games at the meet or slightly faster. So thats a good sign. The breast was my best time and a possible national record. Looking forward, Bovell said he was anxious to see what time he can go in the 50 freestyle today (Sunday), and more importantly what mistakes he is making so he can learn from them. The meet in Canada being hosted by Club de Natation des Piscines du Parc Olympique which ends today is the first taste of competitive action for Bovell since he splashed off his season with victory in the TYR Jax50 freestyle at the Bolles School Vible Pool, San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida, in April. He was then expected to compete at the Santa Clara Grand Prix, last month, however, there was a mix up with the entries and he was a day late and was not allowed to compete. Bovell, who used the time during his first meet of the season and the current meet in Canada to do some charitable work in Uganda in the form of spreading the awareness and fight against Malaria and Drowning also stepped up his training after opting out of the 48th Sette Colli International Swimming Trophy Meet in Italy, Rome earlier this month as well. Following the Canada Cup, Bovell, the 2004 Olympic bronze medallist in 200m individual medley, is due to head over to Europe to compete at the French Open in Vichy (July 6 - 7) and then the FINA World Long Course Championships from July 28 to August 4 in Barcelona, Spain. At the conclusion of the World Championship he is expected to turn his attention to the FINA World Cup which starts with an August 7-8 meet in Eindhoven, Holland followed by Berlin, Germany, September, 10-11. The remaining six stops will continue in October and November, but Bovell, who won a combine 16 medals on the World Cup circuit last year to end in second spot overall says he may not participate in those as it was deemed too hard to continue through all eight like last year. FULL STORY: guardian.co.tt/sport/2013-06-30/bovell-wins-two-golds-montreal
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 01:18:57 +0000
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