The Brazilian Olympic sports gala night saw the big winners being swimmer Cesar Cielo and judoka Sarah Menezes. However, three Flamengo fans also shone at the Brazilian Olympic Awards ceremony, which even included a tribute and a humorous speech from President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. The ceremony honored Marina Canetti as the best water polo player of the year, Diego Hypólito as the best gymnast, and their coach, Renato Araújo, as the best coach of 2009.

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The climax of the evening was Lula's speech. In his closing address, the president expressed his emotions over Rio de Janeiro's selection as the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games. With a good sense of humor, he joked about the cities that lost to Rio, encouraged investment in youth sports, and warned that in 2012, he doesn't want to see Brazil win a "paltry load of medals" at the London Games.

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Diego Hypólito is in high regard with the president. Despite not winning the athlete of the year award, the Brazilian gymnast was honored by the president. In his speech, Lula stated that the athlete remained valued even after being one of Brazil's biggest disappointments at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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"Hypólito, you won't be diminished just because you fell to the ground at the Olympics. I think the medal is a goal, but what matters is that this country is as big as the soul of its people," said Lula, who left Diego honored with the joke.

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"I was thrilled that Lula spoke about me. It was very important. I was sure Cielo would win. But this was the best year of my career because I was able to continue training. Next year I hope to be a three-time world champion on floor exercise," the gymnast planned.

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The choice of the Best Athlete of 2009 was made by the public, through the website www.premiobrasilolimpico2009.com.brApproximately 375 votes were counted. Piauí judoka Sarah Menezes won with 46% of the vote and dedicated the victory to her team and everyone involved in her preparation. And after an impeccable year, swimmer Cesar Cielo, world record holder in the 50m and 100m freestyle, won the Brazilian Olympic Award for the second consecutive time, having won the trophy in 2008.

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The Brazilian Olympic Awards have already established themselves as the biggest celebration in Brazilian sports. In addition to the best athletes of the year and the best athletes in each of the 42 sports, the Brazilian Olympic Awards presented the trophy for best coach of the year to Renato Araújo, coach of gymnast Diego Hypólito, and Ricardo Cintra, coach of swimmer Poliana Okimoto. Brett Hawke, coach of Cesar Cielo, was also honored by the COB.

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"It's an honor to receive this award. I'm sure we'll be at a higher level in 2016," said Renato Araújo.