Brazil's Cesar Cielo added men's 50m freestyle gold to his sprint butterfly title at swimming's world championships on Saturday -- just ten months after surgery on both knees.
Cielo, the defending champion and world-record holder, clocked 21.32secs with Russia's Vladimir Morozov taking silver at 0.15 adrift and Trinidad and Tobago's George Bovell at 0.19 back in third in the freestyle sprint.
"I'm ecstatic, I feel as if I'm dreaming. This is just the first step towards the 2016 Olympics in Rio," said the 26-year-old, before bursting into tears during the medal ceremony.
After winning bronze in the 50m freestyle final at the London Olympics, Cielo underwent surgery on both knees at the end of 2012 and has only been able to train properly since March.
And after the disappointment of London and his subsequent injury troubles, Cielo described the feeling as the best he has experienced.
"I was not expected to win. When I saw the scoreboard I was ecstatic. I had no idea what position I was in. This was the best feeling I've had after a race.
"I finished the Olympics in a place I didn't want to. After the Olympics and injuries I started to doubt myself and whether I would be able to make it here.
"Now I've just had one of the best races in my life. The tears were putting the whole of last year and the bitter feeling I had behind me."
And with six gold medals from the last three world championships, Cielo has now tied Russian Alexander Popov as the only non-American to win six individual world championship titles.
Popov was at the Palau Saint Jordi pool on Saturday to hand out the medals and Cielo was delighted to meet his idol.
"I actually spoke to him for the first time even before we went out to get the medals. He gave me some great advice and told me I was going in the right direction."
