Rio de Janeiro residents favor swimmer Cesar Cielo to carry Brazil’s flag at the first Olympics in South America on Aug. 5, according to a Rio university research poll cited by O Globo.
Cielo, a three-time Olympic medalist in sprint freestyles, garnered 19 percent of the vote in a December survey of 1,144 people, according to the report.
Arthur Zanetti, who at London 2012 became Brazil’s first gymnastics medalist (gold on still rings), came in second at 14 percent followed by Giba, a three-time Olympic medalist volleyball player who retired in 2014.