César Cielo

César Cielo Filho

César Cielo Filho is pictured after winning the 50 m freestyle gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
Personal information
Full name	César Augusto Cielo Filho
Nickname	Cesão
Nationality	Brazil
Born	(1987-01-10) January 10, 1987 Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	80 kg (180 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	CR Flamengo/Auburn Aquatics
College team	Auburn Tigers (2005-2008)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing Brazil Olympic Games 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) 2009 Rome 50 m freestyle 2009 Rome 100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) 2010 Dubai 50 m freestyle 2010 Dubai 100 m freestyle 2004 Indianapolis 4x100 m freestyle 2010 Dubai 4×100 m freestyle 2010 Dubai 4×100 m medley Pan American Games 2007 Rio 50 m freestyle 2007 Rio 100 m freestyle 2007 Rio 4x100 m freestyle 2007 Rio 4x100 m medley Pan Pacific Championships 2010 Irvine 50 m butterfly 2010 Irvine 50 m freestyle 2010 Irvine 100 m freestyle

César Augusto Cielo Filho (born January 10, 1987 in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian professional swimmer who specializes in sprint events. He is the most successful Brazilian swimmer in history, having obtained two Olympic medals, four World Championships gold medals and breaking a world record within a one-year span.

Cielo is the current world record holder in the 100 meter and 50 meter freestyle. His gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in the 50 meter freestyle competition, is Brazil's sole Olympic gold in swimming to date.

Career

Cielo began his career at small swimming clubs in his native state. As a young teenager, Cielo trained at the Esporte Clube Barbarense under coach Mario Francisco Sobrinho. When he was 13, Cielo started training in Piracicaba at the Clube de Campo de Piracicaba under coach Reinaldo Rosa. At the age of 16, he transferred to Esporte Clube Pinheiros, in São Paulo, to train and develop with coach Alberto Silva and Brazilian swimming legend Gustavo Borges. In 2005, he received a scholarship from Auburn University, in the United States, where he trains under Australian coach Brett Hawke. Cielo competed for eight-time NCAA National Champion Auburn Tigers' Swimming and Diving team. He was also tutored by short-distance specialist Fernando Scherer in 2008.

Nowadays, Cielo is sponsored by Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, Arena and Correios. He represents Flamengo in Brazilian competitions, and also trains there, when in Brazil.

NCAA

He currently holds the NCAA and U.S. Open record for the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events, set at the 2008 NCAA Division 1 Swimming and Diving Championships. At Auburn, Cielo won six National Championship events, including sweeping the 2007 50 and 100 freestyle championships. Cielo gave up his fourth and final year of NCAA eligibility, becoming a professional swimmer.

International competitions

Nicholas Santos and César Cielo Filho at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Cielo Filho at the 2009 US National Championships in Indianapolis.

Cielo placed sixth and fourth in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, respectively, at the 2007 Swimming World Championships in Melbourne. At the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, he won three gold medals in the 50 m, 100 m and 4x100 m freestyle, and a silver medal in the 4x100 m medley. Cielo went on to the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he received the bronze medal in 100 m freestyle, tied with American swimmer Jason Lezak, and set the Olympic record in 50 m freestyle during the semifinals (21.34). He lowered this further in the finals, winning the gold medal with the time of 21.30, and missing the world record by 0.02 second.

The 2009 World Championships, in Rome, had Cielo winning the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, the third swimmer to achieve this feat in a single World Championship, after Anthony Ervin and Alexander Popov. Popov and Cielo are the only two swimmers to win Olympic and World Championship gold medals in the 50 m freestyle in succession. Cielo also broke the 100 m freestyle world record in Rome.

On 18 December 2009 he broke the 50 m freestyle world record with 20.91 s at a championship hosted in Esporte Clube Pinheiros, his club in Brazil and where he trained since 2003.

He is also the current holder of the US Open record in the 100yd freestyle (40.92 s) and the 50yd freestyle (18.47 s). It is of note that these performances were done in textile suits, not in the later polyurethane models.(Although he should have won)

World & Olympic Accomplishments

Olympic Games

• Beijing Olympics (China) :
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal (OR).
  • Men's 100 m freestyle bronze medal.

FINA World Championships

• FINA World Championships 2009 in Rome (Italy) :
  • Men's 100 m freestyle gold medal (WR).
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal (CR).
  • (4th) Men's 4x100 m freestyle relay.
  • (4th) Men's 4x100 m medley relay.

• FINA Short Course World Championships 2010 in Dubai (UAE):
  • Men's 100 m freestyle gold medal (CR).
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal (CR).
  • Men's 4x100 m freestyle relay.
  • Men's 4x100 m medley relay.

See also

• Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• List of world records in swimming
• List of Americas records in swimming
• List of South American records in swimming
• List of Brazilian records in swimming
• World record progression 50 metres freestyle
• World record progression 100 metres freestyle

Video interviews

• Cesar interview in Beijing on Floswimming

External links

• Official website Template:Pt
• Profile at auburntigers.com
• Profile at sportsreference.com