Cesar Cielo Congratulates Cam McEvoy on World Record in 50 Freestyle
On the day his 16-year-old world record in the 50-meter freestyle went down, Brazil’s Cesar Cielo sent his congratulations to Cam McEvoy, the new standard bearer. Competing at the China Open in Shenzhen, McEvoy registered a time of 20.88 for the one-lap dash, an effort that bettered the Cielo’s world record of 20.91. An inductee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Cielo set his world record in the event in late 2009.
McEvoy has been the undisputed king of the 50 freestyle for several years, and he captured the Olympic crown at the Paris Games. A two-time world champion in the 50 free, the world record was the lone major achievement for the Australian to record.
During the early stages of his career, McEvoy was best known for his ability in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle. But in the past several years, he shifted his focus to the 50 freestyle and adopted a training approach that was geared toward the sprint. The new methodology obviously has been beneficial for the four-time Olympian, who made it clear he was targeting the world record in the 50 free.
In his congratulatory remarks to McEvoy, Cielo noted the Aussie’s willingness to make changes in his training.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality,” Cielo wrote. “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
Congrats, Cam!
Lightning fast swim! Incredible!I saw a phrase a while ago that perfectly captures what you’ve been doing.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”… pic.twitter.com/EOFseAnDEa— Cesar Cielo (@CesarCielo) March 20, 2026