Page 22 - Team TTO PARIS 2024

Carter catapulted himself into senior swimming almost
seamlessly. Later in 2016, the University of Southern
California graduate revealed his prowess at short
course (25m) swimming, earning a fourth place in the
men’s 200m freestyle and seventh in the 50m butterfly
at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in
Canada.

After securing five medals (three gold, one silver, one
bronze) at the 2018 Barranquilla Central American and
Caribbean Games, he followed up with the country’s first
and only Commonwealth Games swimming medal
(silver in the men’s 50m butterfly) at the Gold Coast-
competition. In many respects, Bovell was the man to pioneer TTO
elite-level medal-winning swimming following a
Carter also earned bronze in his off-event, the men’s late-blooming age-group career. After making his
100m backstroke, at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games – at the age
Peru. of 17 – in the 50m freestyle, and the 200 and 400m
individual medley (IM) events, Bovell announced himself
Things didn’t go as swimmingly at the Covid 19-delayed to the world when he barely missed out on a podium
2020 Tokyo Games where he swam four events with his finish (4th) at the 2001 Fukuoka FINA (now World
best finish being a 22nd-place spot in the men’s 100m Aquatics) World Championships.
free. But at the World Short Course later that year, he
secured a silver in the men’s 50m butterfly, the best ever In 2003 - and putting his maiden 1999 Winnipeg Pan Am
performance by a TTO swimmer in that format. Games experience at the age of 16 to good use, Bovell
dashed his way to TTO Pan Am Games history when he
Attempting to claim his first medal in the longer course, won four medals (two gold, two silver) at the Santo
Carter fell disappointingly just short of the podium when Domingo-hosted Games.
he was fourth in the men’s 50m butterfly in Gwangju,
South Korea for the World Championships. He would only manage a fifth-place finish at the 2003
World Championships in the men’s 200 IM but he would
He rebounded spectacularly during the 2022 FINA attain the pinnacle of his swimming feats in the 2004
Swimming World Cup circuit, being named the overall Olympic year.
male winner after winning nine gold medals – including
breaking the national records in the 50m free, back and fly At that year’s NCAA Men’s Division 1 Swimming and
several times – and amassing US $150,000 in prize Diving Championships - staged for the first time in a
money. PHOTO - FINIS/Dexter Browne 25m course as opposed to the traditional 25-yard ones
used in collegiate competition - Bovell signalled his
At the Berlin, Germany, World Short Course, he continued Olympic intentions, breaking a world record for the
his excellence in the shorter format, collecting another 200m IM (1:53.93), as he easily lifted the title.
medal - this time a bronze - in the men’s 50m freestyle.
Then onto Athens,
In 2023 Carter was excellent at the regional level; Greece - the
replicating exactly his 2018 returns (five medals - three birthplace of the
gold, one silver, one bronze). At the global level he modern
fared less well, taking fifth and 15th respectively Olympics –
in the men’s 50m butterfly and 50m free
respectively.

Swimming aficionados are impressed by Carter’s
consistency and are positive he can mount a strong
podium challenge in Parisand hopefully, follow in
Bovell’s medal-winning footsteps.

Mark Pouchet is a sports journalist and swim coach in Trinidad and Tobago.

20