SHANGHAI: Brazilian sprint star Cesar Cielo defied a storm of criticism over a failed drugs test to register an emotional 50m butterfly win at the world championships on Monday.
Cesar stormed to the finish in 23.10sec, 0.18 ahead of Matthew Targett and Geoff Huegill who continued a positive start to the Shanghai world championships for Australia.
As he stood on the podium, Cielo was in floods of tears during the Brazilian national anthem and was comforted by Targett and Huegill.
Cielo, 24, has been in the firing line with superstar Michael Phelps and US teammate Jason Lezak both voicing unhappiness after the Brazilian last week escaped a drugs ban.
The Olympic 50m freestyle champion, who won both the 50m and 100m world titles at Rome 2009, was let off with a warning for testing positive for a banned diuretic, which can be used to mask performance-enhancing drugs.
Cielo denies wrongdoing and blames a contaminated caffeine supplement for the result at Brazil’s national championships in May. Three teammates also tested positive for furosemide.
Earlier, American Dana Vollmer won her first individual title at a world championships. Vollmer, who has world and Olympic relay golds, touched just seven hundredths of a second ahead of Australia’s Alicia Coutts in the 100m butterfly in a time of 56.87sec, with China’s Lu Ying claiming bronze. World record holder Sarah Sjoestroem finished outside the medals in fourth while Australia’s “Madame Butterfly” Jessicah Schipper was seventh. (Agencies)