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Hawke: Spirit Of Champion Spikes Cielo

Jun 28, 2010  - Craig Lord

The tenacious spirit of a champion was the key to unlocking the fastest-ever unaided 50m free swim in history, according to Brett Hawke, coach of Brazilian sprint king Cesar Cielo at Auburn after a 21.55sec effort that had rivals reeling yesterday in Paris.

The day before, Cielo had finished fifth in the 100m on 49.31. The response of the Olympic and world champion says much about the man leading the way into uncharted sprint waters and bent on becoming the greatest sprinter in swimming history.

Many were capable of winning a sprint crown on their day, believed Hawke, but "they will have to bring their A-plus game to take down Cesar at a major meet in the next few years", he added.

On the significance of getting inside Alex Popov's 21.64sec, Cielo told SwimNews: "It feels great to be the first one under Popov's time, it was a record that everyone wanted to break. I honestly just thought about it after the race was over. Popov is my idol and a reference in swimming, I feel blessed to have had this opportunity in my career." The thread to history is rewoven by a man who has his feet planted firmly on the ground while his aspirations soar on a diet of dedication.

SwimNews caught up with Hawke today and asked how we can interpret that 21.55sec swim in the context of where Cielo finds himself in preparations pointed at the top of the podium come the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, in August. 

Here is the coach's insightful overview on his charge and the current strokes in a much longer journey of a sprinter piling up a reputation fit to make knees knock if you happen to aspire to a swim sprint crown any time soon:

"Cesar was in an endurance speed phase leading into his Brazilian nationals in May," said Hawke. "He was lifting very heavy and I was heavy on the speed at the time. Many reps with little rest. Example: 50 x 25 at 100m pace on 40 seconds. This is why his back was giving him trouble at the time. The heavy lifting coupled with the little recovery time was breaking him down.

"After May we moved into a strength speed phase where he has been developing his strength and back-end speed. He has been doing many repetitions of racing at this speed with short bursts of speed mixed in. We have given him a little more recovery time between lifts and efforts in the pool," added the coach.

Little wonder that a 21.55 was met with a lot of smiling and a few raised eyebrows among those closest to the sprinter. "At this stage of his preparation we are totally surprised with his top-end speed because we have been working his back-end for his 100 and still lifting fairly heavy," Hawke explained. "21.5 came on the back of a disappointing 100, so I think it was just the spirit of a champion that lifted him beyond where he should be for this stage of the season."

What next? "We plan on moving into the final stage of his training, the speed power/explosive phase in the next few weeks after the Georgia sectional meet. This will be the phase where he develops all his true top-end speed," said Hawke. "We are totally preparing his body and mind for the Pan Pacific Championships this season. All the events he swims before this are just lead up swims for the end of season goal, which is Pan Pac's this year."

Asked about Cielo's level of commitment and dedication to the job, Hawke said: "His dedication to his trade has been second to none, just like in previous years. Cesar does not see himself as a flash-in-the-pan sprinter. He has been given a gift by God and he plans on maximizing his swimming potential. He is 100% dedicated to becoming the greatest sprinter in history. Cesar is a professional in every sense of the word. I believe anybody can be beaten on any given day, but they will have to bring their A-plus game to take down Cesar at a major meet in the next few years."

Hawke spoke to Cielo after the Paris victory and what stood out was the thrill the Brazilian feels when given the opportunity to entertain through his pursuit of excellence and goals that coach and swimmer will be keeping close to their chests. "I know talking to Cesar he was very happy that he could swim fast in front of the Paris crowd," said the coach. "He loves to perform and swim fast in front of people. His goals are faster than what he swam in Paris, but they are between him and I."

Hawke noted the killer quality of the man working under his guidance when he said: "The best thing I like about coaching Cesar is his tenacity to come back from a disappointing swim and post a world best time the next day, the mark of a true champion!"

Spirit is innate, but match it with experience and it can turn mere mortals into superheroes: Cielo has spoken about the value of the shared bronze medal he won in the 100m free at the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 14 - and how the realisation that he had so much to look forward to, so much talent to honour, had given him the extra spark needed for victory in the 50m free two days later.