Chad le Clos of South Africa is the best performance at the Commonwealth Games, but he won’t be content until he’s number one once more. Le Clos came in second to Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand in the men’s 200m butterfly and took home a silver medal. With the silver, he joined former shooters Phil Adams and Michael Gault as the athletes with the most medals (18). Le Clos was pleased with the accomplishment on Sunday night, even though he would have preferred to do it with a gold medal.
Le Clos, who was swimming in lane 4, led for the majority of the race but fell slightly behind in the final 25 meters as the South African touched the wall in 1:55.89. Le Clos now has 18 medals, matching retiring shooters Michael Gault from the UK and Phil Adams from Australia, and just needs one more to surpass them as the most decorated Commonwealth Games athlete ever.
“I’m proud to have the most medals in the Commonwealth Games history,” said Le Clos.“If you had asked me 12 years ago if I would be standing here, I would have a huge smile on my face. I’m extremely proud to represent my country,” he said
“I did promise myself that by the end of 2022, I will be on the top of the podium, whether that’s this week in the 100m butterfly or the World Championships in Melbourne. I promise I will be back on top of the podium, that’s a guarantee. It’ll be a little bit harder to win the 100m but I don’t shy away from a challenge. I’m excited to represent my country at the highest level,” Le Clos said.
Team SA placed fourth in the medal standings with four gold, one silver, and one bronze by 4 p.m. SA time on Monday. The results, however, fall far short of the top three countries, which are Australia (22 gold, 55 overall), England (14, 38), and New Zealand (10, 19).
Wednesday’s bronze-medal match will feature Desiree Levin and Victoria van der Merwe of South Africa against England in B6-B8 lawn bowls. Johanna Snyman, Esme Kruger, Bridgit Calitz, and Thabelo Muvhango’s women’s four lawn bowls team have qualified for the gold medal game.
Le Clos, who withdrew from the FINA World Championships last month due to breathing issues, is determined to win gold once more as the 30-year-old keeps showcasing his potential as a star in the world arena. “I promised myself that I want to be on top of the podium again, whether it be the 100m fly or in World Champs next year. I want to get back on that podium,” said Le Clos.
Le Clos established a reputation for himself as a performer around the world when he was twenty years old and competed in the 200-meter butterfly final at the 2012 Summer Olympics, he shocked the world by upsetting Michael Phelps, his childhood hero and the best swimmer in the world.
The mental health of athletes became a hot topic last year when Chad Le Clos, a top-performing Olympian, discussed his battle with depression. The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 shed emphasis on high-performing athletes’ mental health and stress management techniques.
With only five people close to him understanding what happened, the four-time Olympic medalist swimmer said he would never relate what happened but that it was the root of his sadness. He stated that the terrible event was worse than learning that both of his parents had cancer.
Le Clos acknowledged his lack of readiness as he made preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, claiming his performance there was unsatisfactory. Le Clos failed to go through the preliminary rounds of the 100m butterfly event and placed fifth in the 200m butterfly final.
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