Beijing-bound Alesi places high in Pan Am ames

Senior swimmer Octavio Alesi’s 52.54 preliminary time in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2007 Pan American Games Rio (July 16-22) qualifies him for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he will represent his home country of Venezuela. He swam a time of 52.86 in the finals, which put him in 4th-place overall.

Also at the Pan Am Games, he competed in the 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter freestyle, 400 meter freestyle relay and the butterfly leg in the 400 meter medley relay.

Alesi achieved a lifetime best in the 50 meter freestyle, splashing to an eighth-place finish in 22.9. In addition, he swam a staggering 40.99 butterfly leg on the 400 meter medley relay.

The Volunteer, however, is planning to take a short vacation before coming back to prepare for the 2007-08 collegiate season. He hopes his effort this summer will help Tennessee’s overall team performance in the winter.

"I think this meet made me realize that success comes with sacrifices in and out of the pool," Alesi said. "Outside, I stayed focused for the past few months, hoping it would bring me closer to the goals I wanted to accomplish in the water. While inside, I increased the hard work and intensity that is required to swim at this level. I hope to bring that to my teammates in the fall as we get ready to have a magnificent season."