It may be Chad Le Clos's fourth Olympics, but that doesn’t mean it’s not as exciting as his first.
“The truth is it’s the prestige attached, and the history behind it,” says the Olympic gold medallist.
“Three hours ago, I was at the media house for the Olympics with Kayla Dressel and Tom Daley, and [Novak] Djokovic and [Rafael] Nadal just walked straight past us. They did their interview and just casually walked past. Because it’s the Olympics, you get to mix with the best of the best.”
The swimmer is living in Germany, and along with the prestige of the Games, he says he’s excited to be a part of the greater South African team. “I just miss being home. I miss eating home-cooked meals with proper South African spices, and hearing a bit of a South African accent,” he says.
For many of the South African athletes, the sojourn in Paris kicked off with a welcome at the official South African Olympics house, Ekhaya, where sports, arts & culture minister Gayton Mackenzie welcomed the team and wished them well for the Games.
This was a chance for Le Clos to scratch the homesick itch: “At the welcome ceremony we had a braai with pap and wors and it was just perfect.”
Despite suffering a small injury a few weeks ago, he is confident about his performance in the 100m butterfly event on August 2. “I’m very lucky to have such an amazing team here at the Olympics,” he says.
“We have an amazing team of doctors and physios and, honestly, they’re doing everything they can. The last two weeks hasn't been ideal, but we've done a lot of good work, so I'm actually happy with where I am. I mean, I would be more happy if I wasn't injured, but we have another eight days for training and to get 100% [fit].”
Training, team members and physical and mental strength are all necessary to perform at Olympic level. So what’s Chad’s advice for those wishing to emulate him? “As Gary Player said, the harder you practice, the luckier you get, so put your head down, work hard and have self-belief.
“You have to make sacrifices and put your head down, and go through the journey and believe. And that’s one thing I’ve always done. Since I was 10, I’ve been writing on the shower: Chad Le Clos, the champion. You have to have passion and belief to succeed. And it doesn’t hurt to be South African, because if there is one thing we are it’s resilient.”
Le Clos won five medals at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. He won gold in the 200m butterfly and silver in the 100m butterfly at the London 2012 Olympics. At Rio 2016, he took silver in the 200m freestyle and the 100m butterfly, but left the 2020 Olympics in Japan empty-handed.
Will this be his last Olympics?
No. He says he hopes to make it to Los Angeles. “Not many people see one Olympics or two Olympics or three,” he says. “I’m really grateful to be here and of course I want to do my best, I want to try and win, but I’m mostly really grateful to be here.”
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