Boucheré has produced a series of personal best performances in the Western Australian Championships at the superb Challenge Stadium pool in Perth.
The 22-year-old’s finest performance came in the men’s 100m breast-stroke when he lowered the Abacus Island record with a time of 1 min 10.08 sec as he placed sixth behind the winner, Australian record holder and Athens Olympic finalist Jim Piper.
The following day he claimed a bronze medal in the men’s 200m breast.
Said Boucheré: ‘I’m stoked to be a medallist at my first competition out here in Australia.
I can’t get enough of the atmosphere and excitement that the sport generates down here.
‘I feel my swimming is going from strength to strength, my confidence is up and I’m feeling more positive about my swimming than ever before.’ Boucheré is having his best-ever long course meet to date, featuring in six championship finals and with a 100 per cent personal best strike rate.
Following on from his good form in the breast-stroke events the powerful Tiger went on to finish fourth in the 400m individual medley and the 200m IM, fifth in the 200m butterfly and seventh in the 400m freestyle.
He will be in Australia for at least a year – his visa expires in October – as he trains with three of the country’s Athens Olympic squad plus two national age group record holders.
Said Tiger’s Australian coach Matt Magee, himself from Perth: ‘He will probably stay after October – his intention is to get into Jersey’s Commonwealth Games team in Melbourne in 2006.
He’s training in very good company and it’s obviously paying off.’ Boucheré will soon be joined by former team mates Alexis Militis, Stuart Black and international triathlete, Paul Clements as they prepare to head out to Australia for a three-week long training camp.
