Cielo’s high note
Extracted from: http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1
In what was perhaps “the” race of the championships, Cesar Cielo Filho (BRA) got the gold in the men’s 100m free, touching home in a new championships record of 45.74. Winner of the 50m free and third in the 4x100m free relay here in Dubai, Cielo also obtained the world crown in the 50m and 100m free at the 2009 long course championships in Rome (ITA), and getting the gold in the 50m free and bronze in the 100m free at the 2008 Olympics.
At 23, and training in Auburn (USA), Cielo is already the best swimmer in Brazil’s history and will certainly be the sprinter to beat at the next major rendezvous, including the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai (CHN), and naturally at the 2012 Olympic Games in London (GBR).
In his successful trajectory, Cielo has been the “obstacle” of French sprinters, namely Fred Bousquet, Alain Bernard, Amaury Leveaux or Fabien Gilot. This time, the latest “victim” was Fabien Gilot, who finished second in a time 45.97 – it was his first individual medal at world level, after being first in the 4x100m free relay and third in the 4x200m free relay. The bronze went to Russia’s Nikita Lobintsev (46.35), who got his fourth medal of the championships, after winning the 4x200m free relay, and finishing second in the 400m free and 4x100m free relay.
