Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, OIS (born 12 April 1992) is a South African competitive swimmer who is an Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion. He is the African record, Commonwealth record, and South African record holder in the short course and long course 200-metre butterfly and the short course 100-metre butterfly. He also holds African and South African records in the long course 200-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly, as well as the short course 100-metre freestyle.
Chad le Clos at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born in Durban on 12 April 1992, Chad Le Clos took up swimming at an early age, entered his first competition when he was 10 and forced his way into South Africa’s senior national team at 14. His potential was recognized by teacher Lindsay Manthey when he was at Penzance Primary School. Chad started swimming competitively aged 10 and by the age of 14 he had already made the senior Olympic squad. Le Clos's father Bert Le Clos is Mauritian, and moved to South Africa at the age of nine, where he met Le Clos's mother, Geraldine, who is of South African descent. He attended Westville Boys' High School in Durban, South Africa, the school named their main pool after him, matriculating in 2010.
Youth Olympic and Commonwealth Games Success
The highly promising teenager showed his potential in 2010, winning five medals at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, another five at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, and a 200m butterfly gold at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Dubai, all this while he was still at school. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India in October, Le Clos collected two gold medals, one silver medal, and two bronze medals. At the World Short Course Championships in Dubai, Le Clos won the gold medal in the 200-metre butterfly.
On the 4th day, Le Clos won the gold medal in the 200m butterfly in 1min 52.96 sec, edging out the two-time defending Olympic champion and world record holder, Michael Phelps, by 0.05 seconds. In personal information given to the media, Le Clos had stated before the games that his sporting hero is Michael Phelps. He later said that beating his hero was unexpected.
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London 2012: Upsetting a Legend
In November 2011 he landed his maiden FINA Swimming World Cup title, becoming the third South African to win the accolade after Ryk Neethling and Cameron van der Burgh. Le Clos then posted a number of qualification times at the South African trials for London 2012, upstaging reigning 50m breaststroke world champion Van der Burgh in the process.
Le Clos ultimately won his way through to the final of the 200m butterfly at London 2012, where he lined up right alongside swimming icon Michael Phelps (USA), the man he regarded as quite simply the “greatest champion of all time”. Heading in search of a 15th Olympic title and a third consecutive victory in the event, Phelps led at the 50m, 100m and 150m marks, by which time his advantage over the 20-year-old South African had grown to 0.58 seconds.
Lying third behind Japan’s Takeshi Matsuda at the final turn, Le Clos passed him on the home stretch and then dramatically closed the gap on Phelps. With five metres to go, however, the American was still out in front. “I remember those last few strokes,” said Le Clos, recalling the thrilling denouement as he reeled in the American great.
“I told myself that I had to make sure I touched the wall perfectly, and that’s what I did. That said, I had no idea what had happened at first. I knew I was close to snatching a gold medal, but I thought that Phelps had still managed to get the win. I thought to myself, ‘You haven’t actually gone and won the race, have you?’”
But win it he had, posting a new African record of 1:52.96 to shade Phelps by 0.05 seconds and pull off one of the greatest upsets of London 2012. Scarcely able to believe he had ended the American’s decade-long reign in the event, an incredulous Le Clos raised his arms in triumph, yelling for joy and smacking the water with his fists.
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When the two met again in the 100m butterfly final three days later, Phelps gained a measure of revenge, pipping Le Clos to the gold medal by 0.21 seconds. “When I was 12 I looked on Phelps as a hero, as a god almost,” said the South African, looking back on his memorable 200m triumph. “I never thought I’d ever be in a position to beat. My coach Graham Hill and I call it destiny.”
His gold medal in the men’s 200m butterfly where he beat his hero Michael Phelps by 0.05 secs was one of the standout moments of the Games, made all the more memorable by the performances of dad Bert on the BBC.
Post-Olympic Success and World Championships
When Phelps then retired from competitive swimming, albeit temporarily, Le Clos built on his Olympic breakthrough by completing a 100m/200m butterfly double at the 2013 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona (ESP) and winning a second Swimming World Cup title that same year. The pressure was then on to deliver at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona but Chad stepped up to the plate and won gold in the 100m and 200m butterfly.
After his Olympic success, Le Clos came into the World Championships as a threat. However, Le Clos shortened his program this year, only deciding to participate in the butterfly events. In his first event, the 50-metre butterfly, Le Clos came 23rd with a time of 23.76, unable to advance to the semi-finals. In his signature event, the 200-metre butterfly, after easily breezing into the final, he followed his win at the Olympics, where he won with a 1:54.32.
Le Clos finished 14th in the semifinals of the 50 meter butterfly and 6th in the 200m freestyle.
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Continued Dominance and Commonwealth Games Records
A third would follow in 2014, a year that also saw the Durban native secure four golds (50m, 100m and 200m butterfly, and 200m freestyle) at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Doha (QAT) and enthusiastically take on the role of Summer Youth Olympic Games ambassador at Nanjing 2014. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games Chad medalled in each of the seven events he entered, including gold in the 100m and 200m butterfly. He then made history at the FINA World Cup Series, becoming the first swimmer ever to be crowned overall winner three times. At the FINA World Championships (Short Course) in December he became the first swimmer ever to win all three butterfly events.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he tied the record set by Ian Thorpe for the most number of medals won at a single Commonwealth Games with seven medals. Across the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, he has won a total of 18 medals, including seven gold medals, four silver medals, and seven bronze medals.
In 2017, he became the first male to win the overall title in the Swimming World Cup four times. Upon his completion of the 2018 Swimming World Cup, he won the Guinness World Record for "most gold medals won in the FINA Swimming World Cup by a male swimmer" for the 143 gold medals he won between 2009 and 2018, inclusive. In the same year, he became the most decorated Commonwealth Games swimmer, with 17 total medals, and the first man to win the Commonwealth Games title in the 200-metre butterfly three times in a row.
Rio 2016: A Mix of Success and Disappointment
Le Clos then successfully defended his 100m title at the 2015 Worlds in Kazan (RUS), where he also picked up a silver medal behind László Cseh (HUN) in the 200m. By this time, Phelps had come out of retirement, his sights set on yet more gold at Rio 2016, where he and Le Clos would take part in yet another final for the ages.
Le Clos’ first podium in Rio came in the 200m freestyle, where he won silver. Leading at the turn, he was overhauled on the home stretch by China’s Sun Yang, who took gold by a margin of 0.55 seconds. However, there was disappointment in the following day’s 200m butterfly final; coming home fourth, Le Clos gave up his Olympic crown to the returning Phelps.
Le Clos finished 4th in the 200 metre butterfly in which he was the defending champion, in a race he called the worst of his career, as he was second behind Phelps for much of the race before fading in the closing meters. The event was heavily hyped as a rematch between Le Clos and Michael Phelps, the 2004 and 2008 winner whom Le Clos had narrowly beaten in 2012.
The relationship between Le Clos and Phelps had been cordial in 2012-2013, but it deteriorated in 2014 when Phelps came back from retirement. In the ready room before the preliminary race, Le Clos' shadow boxing while Phelps "glowered in a corner" spawned the Internet meme with the hashtag #PhelpsFace.
#PhelpsFace meme featuring Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos
His second Olympics ended with another memorable tussle involving Phelps, this time in the 100m butterfly final. While the gold went to Singaporean youngster Joseph Schooling in a time of 50.39, Le Clos, Phelps and Cseh all touched home in a time of 50.41 for a remarkable three-way split of silver.
Le Clos won a second silver medal in the 100 metre butterfly, in a three-way tie with rivals Phelps and László Cseh, behind Joseph Schooling. The medal was the fourth of Le Clos’ Olympic career and made him his country’s most decorated Olympian of all time, though he admitted to being “very disappointed” with his Games.
Later Career and Achievements
In January 2017, Chad announced that he had appointed a new head coach, Italian Andrea di Nino, and joined the Energy Standard Swimming Club. He competed at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest in July, winning gold in the 200m fly.
The XXI Commonwealth Games 2018 at the Gold Coast in April saw Chad make history in becoming the most successful Commonwealth swimmer of all time. 2018 finished on a high for Le Clos. There was more success for Chad towards the end of 2018 in the FINA World Championships (Short Course) with 4 medals including gold in the 100m fly. He was named South Africa Sportsman of the Year and also FINA Male Swimmer of the Year for the second time.
Le Clos entered to compete in the 100 metre freestyle, 100 metre butterfly, and 200 metre butterfly, and chose not to swim in the 100 metre freestyle at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. 2019 saw Chad take part in the FINA World Champs in South Korea earning two bronze medals and was named “Swimmer of the Championship” despite a niggling groin injury.
In the Autumn of 2019, he was a member of the inaugural International Swimming League competing for the Energy Standard Swim Club of which he was co-captain (with Sarah Sjöström). In December, the team won the overall title in Las Vegas, Nevada. Le Clos won the MVP title at the London stop on the inaugural tour amassing 44.5 points. He won the 100m / 200m Butterfly double three times over the season (Indianapolis, Naples and London), and in Indianapolis, he also won the 100m Freestyle.
As the world came together for the first time following the pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Games were an extraordinary demonstration of unity and celebration. As the world started to return to a new normal, Chad represented his country in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in July 2021. With a deep appreciation for how tough the past 15 months had been on everyone back home and around the world, Chad’s goal was to bring hope to his country. He shared the honour of being named a flag bearer with national women’s hockey team goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande in the opening ceremony in Japan - a true testament to the vital role he plays in the sport. The World Short Course Championships was held at the end of 2021 in December at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
2022 has been a promising and successful year for Chad. In July and August, Chad won the silver medal (200m Butterfly) at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham. This win brought the total number of medals won at the Commonwealth Games to 18, including eight medals in individual butterfly events over his first four Commonwealth Games. The final quarter of this year has been incredibly promising for Chad. He earned 9 medals in total across all 3 legs of the FINA Swimming World Cup taking place in Berlin, Toronto and Indianapolis - 5 gold and 4 silver.
He was conferred the silver Order of Ikhamanga on 27 April 2013. He was also announced as the KZN Newsmaker of the Year 2013 at the Durban City Hall on 9 October 2013. The event was hosted by the Durban University of Technology, the City of Durban, and the DUT Journalism Advisory Board. Radio personality Alan Khan was the programme director. Le Clos was not present to receive his award as he was swimming in Moscow.
Four-time Olympic medalist Chad le Clos is scheduled to make his return to major competition at the South African National Short Course Championships, which will run from Sept. 25-28 in Pietermaritzburg. Le Clos is scheduled to compete in the 100 freestyle, along with the 50 butterfly and 100 fly at the South African Champs. World Cup veteran Chad le Clos showed that he’s still a force to be reckoned with, finishing 3rd in the 100 fly in Carmel.
Le Clos indicated that his World Cup participation will likely be limited. “My back is feeling good… feeling great,” le Clos told Swimming South Africa. “I’m going to be heading to the World Cup afterwards, probably just swimming one leg. “I raced a couple of weeks ago in Cape Town, so we’ll see if we can build on that and then build for a big Commonwealth next year, big trials next year. By then we’ll have a good squad up and running and it’s going to be very exciting.
Michael Phelps wants to Curb Chad le Clos' Enthusiasm
Swimming World Cup 2023
Another year, another Swimming World Cup season, and we see you signed up for another full racing tour. The Swimming World Cup series is one of the best opportunities that I have ever had in my racing career. While the preparation may not have been ideal, how do you feel about being back here in Berlin? I have raced in Berlin many times. My fan base is very big in Germany and I now train full-time in Frankfurt.
This isn’t your first rodeo, so to say, racing the Swimming World Cup. What do you remember from those first couple of years on the World Cup tour? My first World Cup was in Durban in 2007, when I was a 15-year-old. made the final in the 200 breaststroke and I came 8th. I actually won my first World Cup medal in Berlin in the 400 IM ( 4:02.7) from lane 6. I was so psyched that week because I was expecting to race Oussama Meloulli. The World Cup has always been a great competition for me. You see how great the field of competitors is here in Berlin and most are racing in all three of the 2023 Swimming World Cup events. It is a really high-level series.
As you mentioned, your family is here in Berlin and will be travelling with you to Athens and Budapest. My mother was even more excited for the second week of racing because she has never been to Athens. So it will be my brother, my mom and my dad at all three stops to watch me race and to enjoy a holiday. I am blessed to have a great family, and the number one supporter is my father. I have spoken about him many times. He was helping me to make decisions from the start. When it comes to helping his family, no sacrifice is too great. That is so beautiful. I sacrificed my social life as a teenager. I am highly motivated by legacy; I want to be the best short-course swimmer, ever.
Getting to the heights you’ve reached hasn’t always been a smooth path to the top of those peaks. I love the competition aspect of the World Cups and I will rise to the occasion. I love swimming for sure. We missed seeing you in Fukuoka for the Worlds after seeing you light it up in the butterfly events in Melbourne last December at the short course Worlds. The last several months have been hard. The last two weeks have been intense. It may be the hardest time for me to get on the podium at these World Cup events. I have never not won a World Cup over the last 15 years, but it may be difficult for me to win one here. Then it’s on to Paris for the Olympics to face the world and to try to win. We aren't done after that; we are going to Los Angeles. Respectfully I have said to my competitors: If you measure up to me, I believe that I come out on top every single time.
le Clos won’t be competing at the other two stops of the circuit as he has to return to South Africa for the opening of his swim schools. The competition will also be streamed live and on-demand with the World Aquatics Recast channel.
Summary of Achievements
| Competition | Medals |
|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 Gold, 3 Silver |
| Commonwealth Games | 7 Gold, 4 Silver, 7 Bronze |
| FINA World Championships | 4 Gold, 2 Silver |
| Summer Youth Olympic Games | 5 Medals |
| Swimming World Cup | 4 Overall Titles |
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