George Bovell is a swimmer who has competed for Trinidad and Tobago. He competed at the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Bovell started his Olympic career in Sydney 2000, but he failed to reach the semifinals in any of his races. Four years later in Athens, he rose from an outsider to become a medal contender in the freestyle and medley races. He surprised the elite field of swimmers in the final of the 200 metres individual medley, when he edged out László Cseh by 0.04 of a second to take a bronze with a Commonwealth record time of 1:58.80. With this feat, Bovell became the first swimmer from Trinidad and Tobago to win an Olympic medal.
At his third Games in 2008, Bovell was selected to carry the flag for Trinidad and Tobago during the opening ceremony. He shifted his focus to the sprint freestyle double (50 and 100), but he fared poorly in his races, failing to advance from the heats in the 100 and missing the top eight finals in the 50.
Bovell topped the field of swimmers in the heats of the 50 metres freestyle at London 2012, but he slipped off the podium to seventh in the final. He also scratched the 100 metres freestyle for undisclosed reasons and missed the semifinals in the 100 metres backstroke. Bovell closed out his Olympic career at the next Games in 2016, when he failed to advance the semifinals with a twenty-seventh place time from the heats.
His younger brother Nicholas Bovell swam for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, while his mother Barbara Bishop ran for Barbados in the track and field events at Munich 1972.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Men's 100m freestyle | 59th |
| Men's 200m individual medley | 26th | |
| Men's 400m individual medley | 36th | |
| 2004 | Men's 50m freestyle | DNS |
| Men's 100m freestyle | 11th | |
| Men's 200m freestyle | 11th | |
| Men's 200m individual medley | 
| |
| 2008 | Men's 50m freestyle | 11th |
| Men's 100m freestyle | 20th | |
| 2012 | Men's 50m freestyle | 7th |
| Men's 100m freestyle | DNS | |
| Men's 100m backstroke | 29th | |
| 2016 | Men's 50m freestyle | 27th |
2000[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 52.90 | |
| Semifinal | Did not advance | ||
| Final | |||
| 200 metres individual medley | Heats | 2:04.68 | |
| Semifinal | Did not advance | ||
| Final | |||
| 400 metres individual medley | Heats | 4:29.52 | NR |
| Final | Did not advance | ||
2004[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | DNS | |
| Semifinal | Did not advance | ||
| Final | |||
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 49.61 | |
| Semifinal | 49.53 | ||
| Final | Did not advance | ||
| 200 metres freestyle | Heats | 1:49.48 | |
| Semifinal | 1:49.59 | ||
| Final | Did not advance | ||
| 200 metres individual medley | Heats | 2:00.65 | |
| Semifinal | 2:00.31 | ||
| Final | 1:58.80 | NR | |
2008[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | 21.77 |
| Semifinal | 21.86 | |
| Final | Did not advance | |
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 48.83 |
| Semifinal | Did not advance | |
| Final |
2012[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | 21.77 | |
| Semifinal | 21.77 | ||
| Final | 21.82 | ||
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | DNS | |
| Semifinal | Did not advance | ||
| Final | |||
| 100 metres backstroke | Heats | 55.22 | NR |
| Semifinal | Did not advance | ||
| Final | |||
2016[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | 22.30 |
| Semifinal | Did not advance | |
| Final |