South Africa: Fiery Chad Le Clos Prepared to Go to Dark Places to Win the Title of Commonwealth Games Most Decorated Athlete

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Sporting codes at Commonwealth Games 2022 (file photo).
31 July 2022
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Gary Lemke

The glisten of gold is irresistible for the South African swimming star as he bids to rewrite the history books

Chad le Clos is at the stage of his career when he knows what the next chapter is all about: "My legacy. I might be 30 and some people might have written me off, but don't do that. Never do that."

The South African swimming star cut a relaxed but determined figure in the athletes' village at the University of Birmingham, his base for the 2022 Commonwealth Games where he bids to rewrite the history books. Two medals are what he needs from these Games.

Only a month ago, the vultures were circling - again. "Le Clos a SHOCK no-show for 200m butterfly," online media screamed when he withdrew from the Fina World Championships in Budapest. Many openly questioned whether or not his glory days were firmly behind him.

A month earlier, he had told the Mail&Guardian he suffered depression in 2021, to the extent that "there were times where I was sitting in my room just crying by myself. I didn't know why I was like that."

But Le Clos remains feisty and adamant that, in his fourth Commonwealth...

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