Ace Trinidad and Tobago swimmer George Bovell made a winning start to his 2014 FINA World Cup campaign when he took the gold medal in the 100 individual medley (IM) on the first day of the FINA/Mastbank World Cup meet in Doha, Qatar yesterday.
Bovell who left the Commonwealth Games without a medal, got back to his winning ways when he touched the wall first in the 100 IM final in 52.80 seconds to win comfortably ahead of South African Leith Shankland who was second in 53.77, while Austria’s Martin Spitzer was third ion 54.77.
Halfway through the race, Bovell lay second behind Australian Bobby Burley,with a 24.55 split, but the 31-year-old multiple Word Cup medallist was strongest over the final 50 metres.
Earlier, Bovell, swimming in heat two, was the fastest qualifier in 51.15 seconds.
Bovell, will also contest his specialty 50 metres freestyle today. He was expected to go in heat four.
However, yesterday, he also competed in the 50m breaststroke but failed to make the final. Bovell was the 10th fastest in the field in 27.51.
South Africa took their second-straight men’s event when Roland Schoeman won the race in 26.35.
Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli placed second in 26.54, and Switzerland’s Martin Schweizer was third in 26.80. Schweizer’s swim broke the old Swiss national record by .09 seconds. South African Giulio Zorzi, a former Worlds medallist in the long course version of this event, was fourth in 26.94.
Yesterday’s medal was Bovell’s 30th in the World Cup series, including the last two years. In 2013, he had a haul of 13, including one gold, five silver and seven bronze. In 2012, Bovell had done even better with 16 medals (nine gold, seven silver).