From insect-filled pool to Olympic stage, le Clos rises above odds

SINGAPORE — As a young boy growing up in Durban, South Africa, budding young swimmer Chad le Clos spent many happy hours training in the outdoor pool in Lahee Park, Pinetown.

It was decrepit, filled with insects and lined with algae, but to the eight-year-old, it was “the best pool in the world”.

It was only many years later, when the teenager stepped into the Dubai Sports Complex, that he realised the difference. He was then competing at the 2010 Fina World Short Course Championships.

“It was the standout moment,” le Clos said. “I just walked in and I was like ‘wow, this is unbelievable’. And that’s when I realised that what we have is not quite up to the level of international standard. It was difficult to see that.”

The swimmimg champ, along with Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, is regarded as one of the best butterfly swimmers in the world. In town for this weekend’s Fina/airweave Swimming World Cup, he told TODAY that Singapore has “an amazing facility” for swimmers at the Sports Hub. “It’s really world class, it’s a dream.”

Le Clos is not one for moping or self-pity, despite the numerous odds and challenges he has had to overcome to become the world-beater he is today.

“I never made excuses for where I came from. I’m very proud of where I came from. And I believe it built my character to be the strong person I am today… When I went to bigger races, I always knew that I was mentally one up on them (my rivals), so in my mind, that was never really a disadvantage.

This mindset has indeed helped him earn four world titles and four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

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“My coach said once, ‘You’re a big enough man to accept the good, but you’re a better man to accept the bad’. That’s the kind of culture that I come from… Maybe if I had all these (better) things, I wouldn’t have continued swimming. Maybe I would have been too much of a prima donna.”

While his peers such as Schooling receive government scholarship grants, and monetary rewards for winning medals at major games, le Clos and his teammates from South Africa have to get by on their own.

Le Clos found success and international stardom at the 2012 London Olympics, after defeating his boyhood hero Michael Phelps enroute to gold in the 200m fly.

But he hit a career low at the 2016 Olympic Games, after his parents Bert and Geraldine were diagnosed with prostate and breast cancer respectively, months before the event.

He lost the 100m fly gold to Schooling and failed to defend his 200m fly title, returning home with two silver medals (200m freestyle, 100m fly).

The loss was a huge blow to the highly competitive swimmer. He recalled: “That was a very hard pill to swallow, because I prepared very hard. There were many reasons why... but you have to be a champion when you win and when you lose. And for me, that’s something that has stemmed from the hardships that I’ve gone through, the difficulties I’ve had with my family, the lack of financial support from South Africa. You just have to be positive and make the best of the situation.

“But make no mistake about it, for Tokyo (2020 Olympics), I will be back very much stronger and, hopefully, back on top of the podium.”

Le Clos now trains five months a year at the Energy Standard club in Turkey.

With a new coach and new club for the 2017 season, he found his way back to the top of the podium in Budapest, winning the world title in the 200m fly.

He is looking forward to competing against his rival and friend Schooling at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia next year, and the Fina World Cup series if the Singaporean decides to turn professional next year after graduating from the University of Texas.

Of Schooling, he said: “Last year was phenomenal. What he did was unbelievable. He won quite easily that 100m fly, I wasn’t even close. I love to race the best and he’s the Olympic champion. If he was here, it would raise my game.”

With success has come sponsors, and the professional swimmer is determined to put back what he has reaped into the sport back home. Le Clos is planning to open a swimming academy in Cape Town next year, and he also intends to plough his career winnings into a swimming centre for underprivileged children.

The superstar is hopeful that he can help South Africa produce the next Chad le Clos. “That’s my dream, one day when I retire, that somebody’s kid can come through the system and say, Chad le Clos helped them get to the Olympics, to achieve their goals.”

 

Fina/airweave Swimming Word Cup Singapore 2017

When: Nov 18 & 19, 9.30am to noon (heats), 6pm to 8pm (finals)

Where: OCBC Aquatic Centre, Sports Hub

Who: Chad le Clos (Rsa), Sarah Sjostrom (Swe), Katinka Hosszu (Hun), Li Bing Jie (Chn), and more

Tickets are available at sportshubtix.com