Cesar Cielo must be smiling and crying with joy right now, though his nerves must also feel frayed.
It's been a dramatic period in his life, since May, when the Brazilian Federation gave Cielo a warning after his positive drug test for a banned diuretic.
Officials and world-class swimmers cried foul (many of them publicly on Facebook and Twitter) over what appeared to be a very lenient punishment. It didn't help when Cielo gave the seemingly canned "contaminated supplement" argument.
Not surprisingly, Cielo's loudest critics were his direct competitors, the top sprinters around the world.
The Court of Arbitration upheld the Brazilian Federation's warning after hearing from Cielo and his doctor.
"He's obviously happy about it and is looking forward to competing at worlds," Cielo's lawyer, Howard Jacobs, told The Associated Press. "It wasn't just FINA that wanted this case expedited — he also needed to agree for an expedited trial and he wanted it to be cleared up so he could compete and have no questions."
Unfortunately for Cielo, questions still loom for a few of his outspoken competitors.
How the stress of these tense weeks leading up to World Championships will affect Cielo's performance is a big question. Breaking it down, imagine brushing shoulders with your competitors and critics in the warmup pool, on deck, and in the waiting room before the 50 and 100 meters freestyle. The waiting room would be the worst, that quiet box with your seven other competitors. The last moments before your race are stressful enough. Add this doping drama to the broth and it becomes an unbearable pressure cooker.
Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and partner at Gold Medal Media.
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