Denilson Cyprianos
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 October 2002 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Weight | 186 lb (84 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Zimbabwe |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Backstroke |
| College team | Carson–Newman Eagles South Dakota State Jackrabbits |
Denilson Cyprianos (born 7 October 2002) is a Zimbabwean swimmer. He competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the men's 200m backstroke event.
Early life and college career
[edit]Cyprianos was born on 7 October 2002 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.[1][2] He has two brothers who also were competitive swimmers.[3] He attended Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo.[4] He was trained in swimming by his father, until his father's death in late 2020,[5] and became one of Zimbabwe's top youth swimmers; by January 2021, Cyprianos, a backstroke swimmer, had set national records in the 50m, 100m and 200m events, also being the Zimbabwe Junior Sportsperson of the Year runner-up in 2020.[6] He competed as a member of the Stingrays Swimming Club.[7]
Cyprianos received an athletic scholarship to compete in college in the U.S. in 2021.[6] He moved to the U.S. and enrolled at Carson–Newman University in Tennessee, studying finance.[6] Within a month of joining the school and competing for the Carson–Newman Eagles swimming team, he set a team record by winning five events in one competition.[8] As a freshman, he qualified for the NCAA Division II nationals and became an honorable mention All-American after placing 13th in the 200-yard backstroke event.[3] Later in 2021, he qualified for the United States Open Water National Championships in the 5km event.[9] In 2023, with the Eagles, he qualified for the NCAA B tournament and the swimming National Invitation Tournaments (NITs).[10]
Cyprianos later transferred to South Dakota State University where he was part of school record-setting 400m and 800m freestyle relay teams and broke the school record for the 200m backstroke in 2024.[11]
International career
[edit]Cyprianos began competing for Zimbabwe internationally by 2019 and broke the national 100m backstroke record that year at a tournament in Dubai.[4] He became one of only two junior-age Zimbabwean swimmers to set a national record.[7] He was selected for the 2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships where he participated in five events with a highest placement of 40th.[12] In February 2020, he served as captain of the Zimbabwe team competing at the CANA Zone IV Swimming Championships in Botswana.[7] There, he won seven gold medals and one silver.[7]
Cyprianos competed at the 2021 African Swimming Championships where he had a highest placement of fourth, in the 50m backstroke.[12] Two years later, he participated at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships and broke the national record in the 100m backstroke with a time of 57.29 seconds.[13] He finished 46th at the tournament in the 100m backstroke and also competed in the 200m, where he was 26th.[12] He later competed at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, where he placed 34th in the 100m and 26th in the 200m.[12] Cyprianos participated at the 2023 African Games, held in March 2024, and won the gold medal in the 200m event, ending a nine-year gold medal drought for Zimbabwe at the games.[14] He also won silver in the 200m at the African Games.[12]
Cyprianos was selected to represent Zimbabwe at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[15] Competing in the 200m backstroke, he set the new national record with a time of 2:01.91, although he did not advance from his heat.[2] He finished 28th in his event.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Cyprianos Denilson". Olympics.com.
- ^ a b Mhlanga, Ellina (1 August 2024). "Cyprianos Sets New Record". The Herald.
- ^ a b "Denilson Cyprianos". Carson–Newman Eagles.
- ^ a b "Cyprianos breaks 100m record again". Sunday News. 30 June 2019 – via PressReader.com.
- ^ Kurira, Innocent (11 December 2020). "Swimming coach Cyprianos found dead". Nehand Radio.
- ^ a b c Dube, Ngqwele (17 January 2021). "Denilson Cyprianos secures US swimming scholarship". Sunday News.
- ^ a b c d Zililo, Ricky (5 May 2020). "Swimming sensation returns to the pool". The Chronicle.
- ^ Dube, Ngqwele (10 February 2021). "Denilson Cyprianos makes mark on college debut in USA". Sunday News.
- ^ "Byo swimmer books ticket to US premier competition". The Chronicle. 20 September 2021.
- ^ Moyo, Brandon. "Denilson Cyprianos shines in the USA". The Chronicle.
- ^ Terrall, Gracie (April 26, 2024). "SDSU swimmer gearing up for Paris Olympics". SiouxlandProud.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Denilson Cyprianos | Results". World Aquatics.
- ^ "Cyprianos sets swimming record". The Herald. 25 July 2023.
- ^ Kausiyo, Petros (12 March 2024). "Cyprianos touches the sky". The Herald.
- ^ Ndlovu, Faith (4 August 2024). "Olympian Cyprianos comes home". Sunday News.