May 7, 2008

RIO DE JANEIRO - Auburn junior Cesar Cielo kicked off the Brazilian Olympic Trials with a win on Wednesday as he won the 50m freestyle in the event's opening session.

Cielo, a 19-time All-American and a 10-time NCAA Champion, clocked a 21.96 in the finals to take the win, beating out Jader de Silva Souza (22.68) by nearly a second. Cielo touched in with a 21.90 in the preliminary session, giving him the fifth-fastest time in the world this year.

The qualifying meet is a formality for Cielo as he is already qualified for the Brazilian National Team that will travel to Beijing, China in August for the 2008 Olympics.

Cielo's 21.90 also set a new meet record, but came up short of his own national record time of 21.84.