César Cielo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
César Cielo

Cielo after winning the 50 m freestyle at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Cesão
Born	(1987-01-10) 10 January 1987 (age 38) Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.95 m
Weight	80 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, butterfly
Club	Marcílio Dias
College team	Auburn University
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Brazil Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 2 World Championships (LC) 6 1 0 World Championships (SC) 5 1 6 Pan Pacific Championships 1 1 1 Pan American Games 7 1 0 Total 20 4 9 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle Bronze 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle Bronze 2012 London 50 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2009 Rome 50 m freestyle Gold 2009 Rome 100 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 50 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 50 m butterfly Gold 2013 Barcelona 50 m freestyle Gold 2013 Barcelona 50 m butterfly Silver 2017 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2010 Dubai 50 m freestyle Gold 2010 Dubai 100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Doha 100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Doha 4×50 m medley Gold 2014 Doha 4×100 m medley Silver 2004 Indianapolis 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Dubai 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Dubai 4×100 m medley Bronze 2014 Doha 50 m freestyle Bronze 2014 Doha 4×50 m mixed freestyle Bronze 2018 Hangzhou 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2018 Hangzhou 4×50 m medley Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2010 Irvine 50 m butterfly Silver 2010 Irvine 50 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Irvine 100 m freestyle Pan American Games Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro 50 m freestyle Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro 100 m freestyle Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2011 Guadalajara 50 m freestyle Gold 2011 Guadalajara 100 m freestyle Gold 2011 Guadalajara 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2011 Guadalajara 4×100 m medley Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m medley

César Augusto Cielo Filho (born January 10, 1987) is a famous Brazilian competitive swimmer. He is known for his amazing speed in sprint races. Many people consider him the most successful Brazilian swimmer ever.

Cielo has won three Olympic medals. He also has six individual gold medals from the FINA World Aquatics Championships. He even broke two world records! In September 2023, he was honored by being added to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is the third Brazilian swimmer to receive this special award.

Cielo's gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 50-meter freestyle race was a huge moment. It was Brazil's first and only Olympic gold medal in swimming. In 2008, he also set new records in college swimming. He became the fastest swimmer in the world for two distances. Today, César trains and lives in Itajaí, Brazil.

Early Life and Training

César Cielo was born in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a physical education teacher. César started swimming at small clubs in his home state.

When he was a young teenager, he trained with coach Mario Francisco Sobrinho. This was at the Esporte Clube Barbarense, where his mom taught swimming. At 13, César moved to Piracicaba to train with coach Reinaldo Rosa.

At 16, he joined Esporte Clube Pinheiros in São Paulo. There, he trained with coach Alberto Silva and a Brazilian swimming legend, Gustavo Borges. Borges even gave César a swimsuit he wore in the 2004 Olympics!

César was friends with André Schultz since childhood. Their fathers helped organize swimming at their club. They even created competitions and trips for the young swimmers. André's father built a pool at his house where César often trained.

César always hated to lose. People who knew him said he was an exceptional swimmer because he couldn't stand losing. When he was only nine, he studied videos of famous swimmers. He wanted to learn their techniques, like how they started races and turned.

César first competed in backstroke. Another swimmer, Guilherme Guido, was very good at freestyle. Guido often beat César in freestyle races. So, César focused on backstroke. But then Guido started swimming backstroke and beat César there too! After that, César decided to focus on freestyle. He trained hard and eventually beat Guido in a 100-meter freestyle race.

College Swimming Career

In 2005, César Cielo got a scholarship to Auburn University in the United States. He studied international trade and Spanish. While there, he swam for the Auburn Tigers team. This team had won many national championships.

At Auburn, his coach was Brett Hawke, an Australian Olympic swimmer. Hawke helped César prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics. César also got advice from famous Brazilian swimmer Fernando Scherer.

Cielo set records at Auburn for the 50-yard freestyle. He won six national championships there. He decided to become a professional swimmer before finishing his last year of college.

International Swimming Highlights

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

César Cielo's journey in international swimming began early. He quickly became one of Brazil's top athletes.

First Big Competitions

Cielo first competed internationally in October 2004. He was 17 at the 2004 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Indianapolis. He won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. He also helped his team break a South American record.

In 2006, at the 2006 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Shanghai, he finished 5th in two events. He also helped set a new South American record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Later that year, he broke a Brazilian record in the 100-meter freestyle.

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Cielo showed his speed. He finished 4th in the 100-meter freestyle. He also broke South American records in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle.

Pan American Games Success

At the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Cielo was amazing. He won three gold medals! These were in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay. He also earned a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay.

In the 50-meter freestyle, he set a new Pan American Games record. He became the first South American swimmer to finish the race in under 22 seconds. He also broke records in the relays.

Olympic Glory in 2008

Cielo at the 2009 US National Championships in Indianapolis

Before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Cielo kept breaking records. He set new South American records in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle.

At the Olympics, he made history. In the 100-meter freestyle, he won a bronze medal. He also broke the South American record. Then, in the 50-meter freestyle, he was unstoppable. He set a new Olympic record in the heats and semifinals. In the final, he won the gold medal, breaking the Olympic record again! This made him Brazil's first Olympic swimming champion.

World Records and Championships

Cielo broke the world record in the 100-metre freestyle at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome.

In 2009, Cielo continued his winning streak. At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, he won two gold medals. He broke the world record in the 100-meter freestyle. He also won the 50-meter freestyle, setting a new Americas record.

He became one of the few swimmers to win Olympic gold, World Championship gold, and set a world record. In December 2009, he broke the world record in the 50-meter freestyle. This record, 20.91 seconds, still stands today.

In 2010, Cielo joined a new club, Flamengo. He proved his speed again at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. He won gold in the 50-meter butterfly. He also won silver in the 50-meter freestyle and bronze in the 100-meter freestyle.

At the 2010 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Dubai, he won two more gold medals. He won the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events. This meant he held world titles in both long and short course swimming. He also won two bronze medals in relays.

Challenges and More Wins

In 2011, Cielo faced a challenge. He had a positive test for a substance called furosemide. This is a diuretic. He said it was due to a contaminated supplement. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) agreed it wasn't meant to improve performance. They allowed him to compete.

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, he won two more gold medals. He won the 50-meter butterfly and the 50-meter freestyle. At the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, he won four gold medals. He set new Pan-American records in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle.

Cielo at the 2012 Summer Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Cielo won another medal. He earned a bronze in the 50-meter freestyle. His Olympic record from 2008 in the 50-meter freestyle remained unbroken. After the Olympics, he had surgery on both knees.

In 2013, Cielo made a comeback. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, he won two more gold medals. He became a two-time World Champion in the 50-meter butterfly. He also became the first three-time World Champion in the 50-meter freestyle. This was a huge achievement, especially after his surgeries.

Later Career and Retirement

In 2014, Cielo continued to dominate. At the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Doha, Qatar, he won three gold and two bronze medals. He helped his team break a world record in the 4×50-meter medley relay. He also won gold in the 100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relay.

In 2015, he had shoulder pain and couldn't compete as much. In 2016, he didn't qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

However, he returned strong in 2017. At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, he won a silver medal. This was in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. It was Brazil's best result ever in that race at the World Championships.

In 2018, at the 2018 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Hangzhou, China, he won two bronze medals in relays. This made him the Brazilian athlete with the most medals in World Championships across all sports!

In 2021, Cielo announced he wouldn't try for the Tokyo Olympics. He said he wanted to keep swimming in smaller competitions as a hobby. He also works on business projects and social actions. He was a commentator for the Tokyo Games on TV. In 2023, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Today, he balances his life as a family man, businessman, and swimmer.

Personal Life

César Cielo is married to Kelly Gisch. They have a son named Thomas, who was born in September 2015.

Besides swimming, Cielo is also a businessman. He helps other athletes and manages a restaurant in São Paulo.

Career Best Times

Cielo's Olympic record for the 50-meter freestyle, set in Beijing 2008 (21.30 seconds), was only broken in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Long course (50 meter pool)

Short course (25 meter pool)

Honors and Awards

Cielo has received many special awards for his achievements:

• NCAA Swimmer of the Year: 2007, 2008.
• Prêmio Brasil Olímpico (Brazilian Olympic Award): 2008, 2009, 2011. He was also named best swimmer of the year in 2010 and 2013.
• Recognized by Época magazine as one of the 100 most influential Brazilians multiple times.
• Prêmio Faz Diferença ("Makes Difference" Award) from O Globo newspaper: 2009.
• Best Ibero-American athlete of 2009.
• Best athlete of the decade by "Sport Life" magazine.

Achievements

Olympic Games

• Beijing Olympics (China) :
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal (Olympic Record).
  • Men's 100 m freestyle bronze medal.
• London Olympics (England) :
  • Men's 50 m freestyle bronze medal.

FINA World Championships

• FINA Short Course World Championships 2004 in Indianapolis (United States) :
  • Men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay silver medal.
• FINA World Championships 2009 in Rome (Italy) :
  • Men's 100 m freestyle gold medal (World Record).
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal (Championship Record).
• FINA Short Course World Championships 2010 in Dubai (UAE):
  • Men's 100 m freestyle gold medal (Championship Record).
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal (Championship Record).
  • Men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay bronze medal.
  • Men's 4 × 100 m medley relay bronze medal.
• FINA World Championships 2011 in Shanghai (China) :
  • Men's 50 m butterfly gold medal.
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal.
• FINA World Championships 2013 in Barcelona (Spain) :
  • Men's 50 m butterfly gold medal.
  • Men's 50 m freestyle gold medal.
• FINA Short Course World Championships 2014 in Doha (Qatar):
  • Men's 100 m freestyle gold medal.
  • Men's 4×50 m medley relay gold medal (World Record).
  • Men's 4 × 100 m medley relay gold medal.
  • Men's 50 m freestyle bronze medal.
  • Men's 4×50 m mixed freestyle relay bronze medal.
• FINA World Championships 2017 in Budapest (Hungary) :
  • Men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay silver medal.
• FINA Short Course World Championships 2018 in Hangzhou (China):
  • Men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay bronze medal.
  • Men's 4×50 m medley relay bronze medal.

Images for kids

• 

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

• 

  Cielo at the 2009 US National Championships in Indianapolis

• 

  Cielo broke the world record in the 100-metre freestyle at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome.

• 

  Cielo at the 2012 Summer Olympics

• 

  Cielo in the 50-metre butterfly final at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.

See also

In Spanish: César Cielo para niños

• 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
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
• List of World Swimming Championships (25 m) medalists (men)
• Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• World record progression 50 metres freestyle
• World record progression 100 metres freestyle