Bovell, Cielo qualify 1-2 in Olympic 50 free heats

George Bovell of Trinidad and Tobago qualified fastest in the 50-meter freestyle preliminaries at the London Olympics, with defending champion Cesar Cielo right behind.

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Bovell touched in 21.77 seconds on Thursday to win the sixth of eight heats in swimming's glamour event.

Cielo finished the furious one-lap sprint in 21.80, with teammate Bruno Fratus third at 21.82.

Anthony Ervin of the U.S. was fourth at 21.83 in his return to the Olympics after a 12-year absence. He tied American Gary Hall Jr. for the gold at the 2000 Sydney Games before leaving the sport.