Brazilian sprinter Cesar Filho Cielo upset huge favorites to win the first Olympic swimming gold medal for his country in the 50m freestyle race on Saturday.

Cielo, who qualified fastest for the final, flashed to victory with an Olympic record of 21.30 seconds. French duo Amaury Leveaux and Alain Bernard finished second and third respectively at 21.45 and 21.49.

The gold medal is also the first for Brazil at the Beijing Games.