Brazilian sprinter Cesar Cielo cut ties with his club team of two years, Pinheiros, and has been practicing at the Olympic Training and Research Center (COTP) in the city of São Paulo, Brazilian site Globo Esporte reported in February.
He’s being coached by former Pinheiros coach Regis Mencia, whose Instagram bio says he’s Cielo’s “personal” coach, as well as the coach for Cielo-branded swim clinics. Cielo, 32, previously trained at the COTP from 2011-2013 when he launched the elite training group PRO 16, which fizzled out due to a lack of sponsors.
While figuring out his team situation, Cielo has opted not to compete at the Brazil Trophy (formerly Maria Lenk) in April, which serves as Brazil’s qualifier for both the 2019 FINA World Championships, to be held in July, and August’s Pan American Games. This will be the first FINA World Championship without Cielo since 2005, but does signal that he is aiming to swim through the Olympic quad, despite speculation that he would retire this year.
Cielo’s career was on the line in 2016 when he missed the Olympic Team, but after taking over half a year off, her returned in time to train for the 2017 FINA World Championships, where he helped his team to a relay silver medal 4×100 free and made the 50 free final. He opted not to attend the 2018 Pan-Pacific Championships, instead going all-in for the 2018 FINA Short Course World Championships.
There, he had splits of 21.02 and 46.34 respectively as the Brazilians took 3rd in both the men’s 4×50 medley and 4×100 free relays, and he also placed seventh individually in the 50 free and had two other sub-21 freestyle splits. His 2018 best time of 22.01 in the 50 ranked him third in the nation.
Following that Worlds, in an interview with Globo Esporte, he would not confirm he was retiring and said he’d make the decision this year. Since then, he’s continued to train and competed at the Copa Heller International meet in Mexico last month, where he finishing 4th in the 50 fly (24.41) and won the 50 free in 22.85.
If 2018 Worlds ends up being his last major competition, with the news that the 2019 edition is out of the picture, Cielo would retire the fastest man in history in both the 50 and 100 freestyle (LCM). He set both records in 2009 during the super-suit era. Having won three Olympic medals – including Brazil’s first ever swimming gold in 2008 – he is considered the most successful Brazilian swimmer in history.
