Reigning First Citizens Sportsman of the Year, George Bovell swam to his first gold medal of the 2015 season when he won the men's 50m freestyle final at the 21st Tropheo Citta di Roma, at the Palace of Swimming Pool, Salaria Sport Village, Rome, yesterday.
The 31-year-old top T&T swimmer, now based at the ADN Swim Project Italian club touched the wall in 22.70 seconds from lane six to finish ahead of 24-year-old Spanish champion Markel Alberdi who clocked 22.74 from lane three while Russian Lagunov Evgent, the second of three ADN swimmers in the final, got bronze in 22.80 from lane four.
The win by Bovell came after he ended in fifth spot at last month's Belgian Open Swimming Championship at the Olympic Swimming Pool, Wezenberg, Antwerp in 22.46 seconds, after a 23.09 clocking in the heats.Others in yesterday's final were Lucio Spadaro (22.88), Russian and ADN swimmer Tikhobaev Oleg (23.16) and Italian trio Michele Santucci (23.25), Andrea Rolla (23.42) and Lorenzo Benatti (22.59).
On Tuesday, Bovell III, the three-time reigning Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games 50 metres freestyle champion and multiple Pan American Games medallists was the fourth fastest qualifier overall after he ended second in the third of 19 heats.A former NCAA individual and team swimming champion with Auburn University, Bovell raced home in 23.15 seconds from lane four, just behind Alberdi (23.12) while Rolla, 31, was third in 23.76, from lane three.
Evgent and Spadaro were the joint top qualifiers after they both touched the wall in 23.08 seconds from heat four and five respectively in heat one. Oleg won heat two in 23.32 ahead of Santucci (23.42) and Benatti (23.75).
Bovell III, who is preparing for next month's Pan American Games in Canada and the FINA World Aquatic Championship in Kazan a month later, was gifted a spot in the men's 100m freestyle, the final event yesterday after Alessandro Bori, opted out of the event, giving the T&T swimmer who was the ninth best qualifier a chance at another medal.
But with his main focus on using the event to improve on his easy speed and stamina for the last few metres of the 50m event, the Olympic and two-time World Championship bronze medallist ended in sixth spot with a time of 51.14 sceonds.The four other competitors in the heat were Andrea Baioni (51.91), Francesco Giordano (51.96), Marttia Schirru (52.28) and Francesco Formica (54.33).
Lagunov was again the top qualifier and enter the final as the favourite after he topped heat one in 49.77 seconds ahead of fellow qualifiers to the final in Alberdi (50.45), Alex Di Girogio (50.66) and Damiano Lestingi (51.06), who nudged the final place in the final, just 0.20 hundredths of a second faster than Bovell's time.
The other place in the final was secured by Valerio Coggi who won heat two in 50.95 well ahead of Spadaro (51.36) who also missed the A-final cut as the tenth best swimmer.At the Belgian Open Swimming Championship, Bovell got his first silver when he set a national record in the 50m breaststroke in 27.65 to trail Greek swimmer Loannis Karpouzlis (27.61) with Belgium's Jonas Coreelman took third in 28.75.
A day later he earned silver in the 50m backstroke in 25.70 seconds behind his AND clubmate, Francois Heersbrandt who won in 25.50 seconds while Greece's Michail Kondizas took bronze in 25.81.
Today, Bovell is expected to head to Y40 pool Padova where he has been invited for his first free diving meeting. He will also compete at the Sette Colli in Rome June 12-14 followed by Trofeo Rossini June 19-21, Treviso Swim Cup June 26-27 and French Open Championship in Vichy (July 4-5).