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th Thursday, 30 July 2009 - Newsletter # 111444 The Brazilian star wins the men’s 100m free final Cielo’s tears touch the crowd in Rome In one of the most thrilling finals so far in these feel my hands; my face, yet I knew I had to 13th FINA World Championships in Rome perform even though I couldn’t feel my body. After day 13 (ITA), Brazil’s Cesar Cielo Filho had a perfect When I got on the podium after it all, I relaxed a race in the men’s 100m free and got the gold in bit, but yes, I was emotional.” a new WR of 46.91 - faster than Eamon Gold Silver Bronze TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL Sullivan (AUS), who clocked a 47.05 at the For France, this result was certainly a 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Cielo’s main deception, as Bernard’s was one of the main obstacles in this race were the two French hopes for getting the first gold for his country in CHN 10 6 10 262626 sprinters: Alain Bernard (Olympic champion in these championships. Bernard however, was RUS 7 6 3 161616 this event and fastest qualifier for the final in very accepting of his silver medal, saying, “The USA 5 8 5 181818 GER 5 3 0 888 47.27) and Fred Bousquet. With a bad start main lesson I will take from this race is that, from which he was unable to recover, Bernard well, of course second was not ideal, but ITA 4 1 4 999 AUS 3 4 3 101010 settled for silver in 47.12, while Bousquet, anyway, I worked very hard over the last year GBR 3 1 2 666 swimming in lane 8, took the bronze in 47.25. and I will continue to do that. I don’t believe ESP 1 6 2 999 second is a failure. I put all my energy and BRA 1 1 1 333 Curiously, at the “Water Cube” of the Chinese strength into the final and making the final and I RSA 1 0 2 333 capital, Cielo had already left two swimmers did it well.” JPN 1 0 1 222 from France behind him in the 50m free MEX 1 0 0 111 (Amaury Leveaux, who finished second, and After Phelps’ decision not to compete in medley NED 1 0 0 111 Bernard in third). It was Brazil’s first gold medal events in Rome, the men’s 200m individual SRB 1 0 0 111 at these championships and only the second medley (the event that he won in 2003, 2005 SWE 1 0 0 111 one for the South American country in the and 2007) was an interesting duel between the FRA 0 2 2 444 swimming competitions of FINA’s major event: two men that have been behind the American TUN 0 2 0 222 before Cielo, only Ricardo Prado had earned a legend in the last years: his compatriot Ryan CAN 0 1 5 666 world title, in 1982, in the 400m individual Lochte (third in 2005 and second in 2007) and HUN 0 1 2 333 medley. With his Olympic (also a first) and Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh (second in 2005 and DEN 0 1 0 111 world gold, Cielo definitively becomes the most third in 2007). Lochte was the fastest qualifier GRE 0 1 0 111 POL 0 1 0 111 successful swimmer in Brazil’s history. At the for the final (in 1:55.18) and in the decisive race CUB 0 0 1 111 medal ceremony, like in Beijing, the Brazilian his resolve did not shake: he got the gold in MAS 0 0 1 111 could not retain his tears, in what was the most 1:54.10, a new World Record, bettering the ROU 0 0 1 111 touching “image” of the day – the crowd gave 1:54.23 Phelps had clocked at the occasion of TOTAL 454545 454545 454545 135 him strong support by applauding during the his 2008 Olympic title. playing of his anthem. Lochte was also third at the “Water Cube”, “Phelps,” Lochte said, “did such a good job for Speaking later, Filho said he had had a “perfect precisely behind Phelps and Cseh, but in Rome making a name for swimming; putting finish” and, during the race he just focused on he managed the perfect race and controlled his swimming on the map, so no, I don’t mind. Also his lane and not on looking around. “I just main challenger very well, who got the silver in it’s fun, I love swimming against him and I love focused on what I needed to do, and there was 1:55.24. The bronze medal went to the second a challenge, so no, I don’t mind.” a little bit of luck thrown in there.” Filho said US swimmer of the final, Eric Shanteau there is no mystery to being a sprint champion, (1:55.36). It was Lochte’s second individual Sitting beside him, Shanteau also gave some and that his victory came only after a long gold medal at World Championships, after minor explanations for his competitive progress, difficult season, with a lot of hard work and being first in the 200m backstroke at the 2007 saying he has gone back to being “a work horse believing in himself. He had pushed himself so Worlds in Melbourne. in college” and “competing like he did 5-6 years hard that he got to a point where I couldn’t do ago when I was doing 2-3 events an hour.” more. “I got close to my limit,” he said, “and that “There were a lot of hard competitors out there Shanteau also expressed satisfaction about was key.” When asked about his emotions on and it was my best time and I got a world finally coming into the swimming spotlight at the podium, he said “It’s not easy being record, so I can’t complain,” Lochte said later, this competition, as he has generally been Brazilian. Everyone expects that when you reflecting on his race. He was also asked how it associated with overcoming cancer, an illness race, you should win, and coming in second is a felt to constantly find himself racing against he discovered prior to the Beijing Olympics. disappointment. When I went to race, I couldn’t Phelps, and often be compared to him. “Having the title of cancer survivor, it’s nice and Annamay Pierse, from Canada, established a proved an unassailable mountain and Spain will I am happy to be one, but it’s nice that people new WR of 2:20.12, improving the time set by now shoot for a third title to go with those won are focusing on the swimming now too.” Rebecca Soni (USA) at the 2008 Olympics, in Perth in 1998 and Fukuoka in 2001. when she got the gold in 2:20.22. Pierse is also Sitting in the stands was former Spanish coach In the women’s 200m butterfly, the 2008 the world record holder of the distance in 25m- Juan JANE who took Spain to those glory days, Olympic champion Zige Liu (CHN) seemed to pool, with 2:17.50. The other WR of the day in including the Olympic title in Atlanta in 1996. dominate the operations, but in the last 50m, semi-finals was achieved by Christian Sprenger The Spanish duo of Guillermo MOLINA (three Australia’s Jessicah Schipper accelerated to the (AUS) in the men’s 200m breaststroke – the goals) and Xavier Garcia (two) prove a thorn victory and touched first in 2:03.41 - a new Australian clocked 2:07.31, improving the time that the USA could not pluck from under its World Record and faster than the previous best achieved by Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) in June skin. mark established by US Mary Descenza (who is 2008 (2:07.51). The USA won silver in Beijing but now must be competing in her ninth consecutive FINA World content with a bronze-medal shot at Croatia. Championships, both in 50m and 25m-pool) in Hungary sauntered into the play-off for fifth with the heats of the event. Despite clocking then WATER POLO a 13-8 victory over Romania but only led by two 2:04.14, the American did not medal in the final, goals at halftime. concluding in fourth. The silver went to Liu Germany will face Hungary for fifth after turning Serbia and Spain to clash for gold in men’s (2:03.90, also under the previous WR), while a 5-1 lead into a 9-5 difference against Canada. water polo the bronze was obtained by one of the Australia blew a three-goal advantage in the revelations of these championships, 20-year-old final quarter to give FINA World League and Serbia will play Spain for the gold medal at the Katinka Hosszu (HUN, already third in the European champion Montenegro ninth place FINA World Championships men’s water polo 200m individual medley). Schipper had been with an 8-7 victory. The calm Montenegrins did competition on Saturday night. third at the Olympics, victorious two years ago what was needed, keeping the Aussie Sharks Serbia ended the reign of Croatia in a in Melbourne and third in 2005 (Montreal). scoreless for six minutes. spectacular game of tough, rugged and skilled In the play-off for 11th and 12th, Italy won 14-7 water polo in front of a large crowd at the Foro China would take its revenge in the women’s a far cry from victory here in 1994.