CHAD LE CLOS

NATIONALITY South African
HOMETOWN Durban
DATE OF BIRTH 12/04/1992
DISCIPLINE Butterfly
CLUB/COLLEGE SG Frankfurt
COACH Dirk Lange
FOLLOW CHAD ON
“A man’s character is not judged for how he celebrates victory, but by what he does when his back’s against the wall.”

BIOGRAPHY

Chad Le Clos made good on his promise to silence the doubters after some turbulent times left him swimming “like a desperate man”.

A “traumatic experience” in January 2021 led to depression and therapy and a feeling of desolation at Tokyo 2020 where he finished outside the medals. The four-time Olympic medallist reached a career low point in 2022 when he finished fourth in the 100m butterfly at the Commonwealth Games.

Chad switched training bases in October the same year, moving to join Dirk Lange in Frankfurt. Buoyed by the prospect of a fresh start, the South African said people who had written him off were making a “huge mistake”.

Success on the World Cup tour was followed by the World Short-Course Championships in Australia where Chad won the 100/200m fly double. After winning the 100m for the fifth time, he said: “What you see is Chad Le Clos mark 2.0.”

“This performance was really just for me, it’s been an emotional week because I really haven’t won in four years.”

“It’s been a long time since I have been happy. The truth is that I’ve been in a bad place for the last two years.”

Chad now has 12 individual world short-course titles - two shy of Ryan Lochte’s record of 14 – with Budapest 2024 the next opportunity for him to chip away at the now-retired American’s haul. Looking ahead to the World Championships and beyond to Paris 2024, he told Swimming World: “I’m not going there to make up the numbers, not going there to make the final.”

“I’m coming in to try and win medals at least.” “I know I’m going to be in the best shape that I can be and whatever that result is, I can live with that result after I’ve done proper training.”

GENERAL QUICK FACTS

Favorite sportsperson or team (other than swimming)
Manchester United
Favorite vacation spot and why
Mauritius – it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, the people are amazing, the food is so diverse and my father was born there which makes me half Mauritian
Public person you admire
Muhammad Ali – for everything he stood for outside of the ring
Favorite book(s)/author(s)
‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne
Items you’d want on a desert island
PlayStation, football, Rubik’s Cube
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
Spider-Man for sure because I love the idea of having fast reflexes and being able to swing around
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
‘Born Racer’
What you’d like to do in your life after swimming
Inspire the next generation, continue to grow my skills outside the water and open a family business

SWIMMING QUICK FACTS

Proudest moment in swimming
Winning the 200m Butterfly gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012
Least favorite part of swimming
Early mornings and warm-up
Funniest moment in swimming
Being around friends all over the world
Favorite Race/Training suits and why
I’ve always loved the Carbon Airs, my favourite is definitely the custom one from the 2020 Olympics with the South Africa flag
Best piece of equipment and why
Fins, I actually never liked them growing up but now I can’t go a session without them (getting old 😊)
Favorite Food after training
My dad’s steak and salad
Most annoying type of swimmer
I don’t really get annoyed with anyone in training except if they take my favourite lane 😉
Favorite Pool in the world and why
There are so many amazing pools that I find it very hard to choose one. Some of my favourites are Dubai, Doha, Budapest and of course, London

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2022 WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, MELBOURNE
GOLD 100m Butterfly
GOLD 200m Butterfly
2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, BIRMINGHAM
SILVER 200m Butterfly
2021 WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, ABU DHABI
SILVER 100m Butterfly
BRONZE 200m Butterfly
2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, GWANGJU
BRONZE 100m Butterfly
BRONZE 200m Butterfly
2018 WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, HANGZHOU
GOLD 100m Butterfly
SILVER 50m Butterfly
SILVER 200m Butterfly
BRONZE 100m Freestyle
2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, GOLD COAST
GOLD 50m Butterfly
GOLD 100m Butterfly
GOLD 200m Butterfly
SILVER 100m Freestyle
BRONZE 4x100m Medley Relay
2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUDAPEST
GOLD 200m Butterfly
2016 OLYMPIC GAMES, RIO DE JANEIRO
SILVER 200m Freestyle
SILVER 100m Butterfly
2016 WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, WINDSOR
GOLD 50m Butterfly
GOLD 100m Butterfly
GOLD 200m Butterfly
SILVER 200m Freestyle
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, KAZAN
GOLD 100m Butterfly
SILVER 200m Butterfly
2014 WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, DOHA
GOLD 50m Butterfly
GOLD 100m Butterfly
GOLD 200m Butterfly
GOLD 200m Freestyle
BRONZE 4x200m Freestyle Relay
2014 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, GLASGOW
GOLD 100m Butterfly
GOLD 200m Butterfly
SILVER 4x100m Freestyle Relay
BRONZE 50m Butterfly
BRONZE 200m Individual Medley
BRONZE 4x200m Freestyle
BRONZE 4x100m Medley Relay
2013 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BARCELONA
GOLD 100m Butterfly
GOLD 200m Butterfly
2012 OLYMPIC GAMES, LONDON
GOLD 200m Butterfly
SILVER 100m Butterfly
2012 WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, ISTANBUL
GOLD 100m Butterfly
SILVER 50m Butterfly
2010 WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, DUBAI
GOLD 100m Butterfly
2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, DELHI
GOLD 200m Butterfly
GOLD 400m Individual Medley
SILVER 4x100m Medley Relay
BRONZE 4x100m Freestyle Relay
BRONZE 4x200m Freestyle Relay

INSIDE CHAD’S BAG

Cobra Ultra Swipe Mirror Goggles
Powerskin Carbon-Air² Jammer
Powerfin Pro
FIND MORE ON OUR SHOP