World Youth Olympic silver and bronze medal swimmer Dylan Carter continued his 2016 Rio Olympic Games preparations with an impressive swim in the men's 200 metres freestyle at the Arena Pro Swim Series, yesterday, even faster than record Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps.
Competing at the Jean K Freeman Aquatic Centre, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, the 19-year-old Carter, a University of Southern California All-American–who is sitting out of the coming NCAA season in order to prepare for next year's Games–touched the wall in one minute, 50.84 seconds, an Olympic Qualifying standard time.
The time by Carter, who was the only T&T swimmer to make a semifinal at the 16th FINA World Championship in Kazan, Russia, in July/August where he placed 15th in the 50metres butterfly was the ninth best overall, and ahead of Olympic all-time leading medallist (22 medals), Phelps, who touched the wall in 1:51.34 in his heat.
Carter, who lined up in the B-Final last night was followed home in his heat by Chase Kalisz (1:52.12), Marcelo Acosta (1:52.36), Michael Flach (1:52.88), Alex Cohen (1:53.64), Nicholas Sweetser (1:53.84), Walker Higgins (1:54.43) and Ryan Feeley (1:54.95).
The top eight qualifiers for the A-Final were Cono Dwyer (1:48.95 mins), Joao De Lucca (1:49.68), Ryan Lochte (1:49.69), Trevor Carroll (1:49.70), Michael Weiss (1:49.78), Ma Lindenbauer (1:49.97), Bobby Hurley (1:50.02) and Giovanny Lima (1:50.81), all of whom attained Olympic Trials qualification standard time.
Also, a silver medal winner in the men's 50m butterfly at the 2013 FINA World Junior Championship, Carter will be back in action in the men's 100m backstroke from noon today (Friday), while tomorrow he competes in the 100m freestyle heats at 1.15 pm.
T&T Olympic bronze medal winner George Bovell III, in his first meet since the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, in July where he captured bronze in the men's 50m freestyle final, also failed to get to the A-finals of the men's 100m breaststroke.
This after the 32-year-old, also a two-time World Championship bronze medallist and five-time NCAA champion ended seventh in heat four in 1:05. 56 minutes for 39th overall.The six-time Pan American Games medal winner and four-time Olympian returns to the pool with the hope of much better fortunes in his pet event, the 50m freestyle from 11.43 am today.
