Chad Le Clos: Preparing For Redemption From Rio Disappointment
Chad Le Clos: Preparing For Redemption From Rio Disappointment
Preview of the 2017 Mare Nostrum swimming tour. South African swimmer Chad le Clos looks to overcome the disappointment of losing to Michael Phelps in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
2017 Mare Nostrum - Monaco
June 10-11, 2017Monaco, Monaco
Prince Albert II Olympic Pool
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By his own standards, South African swimmer Chad le Clos had a disappointing summer at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the 200m butterfly was on target to defend his crown, yet le Clos settled for a fourth-place finish instead -- allowing Michael Phelps to regain his spot atop the podium.
The next step on the road back to glory for le Clos is the 2017 Mare Nostrum this weekend in Monaco, where he is slated so far to swim the 100m butterfly and 200m butterfly on the first stop of the tour.
But let's back up for a second...
It is widely known that le Clos took down Phelps in his signature event at the 2012 London Olympic Games -- the 200m butterfly. But then Phelps "retired," and that squashed all hopes of a rivalry from the swimming community.
That is until May 2015...
When Phelps began his comeback tour in 2014, he initially swore off swimming the 200m butterfly. The two-time Olympic champion at the time in that event went on to say on May 15, 2015: "It's interesting watching the world in this event (200m butterfly). If you look at what (Tom) Malchow won in 2000, still what everybody's going nowadays. It's still not that fast (of) an event."
Well, that rubbed le Clos -- the man who took down Phelps in 2012 -- the wrong way.
"He's been talking a lot of smack in the media about how slow the butterfly is, so I just can't wait until I race him," le Clos said during the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
Part of le Clos' bravado came from his sterling 100m butterfly time of 50.56 from those 2015 World Championships -- a time the South African Olympic champion was clearly proud of achieving.
"I just did a [100m butterfly] time that [Phelps] hasn't done in four years, so he can keep quiet now," le Clos brashly told media.
He did not stop there, however. "I'm just very happy that he's back to his good form, so he can't come out and say, 'Oh, I haven't been training' or all that rubbish that he's been talking," le Clos said. "Next year [at Rio] is going to be Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier."
Phelps was serving a suspension from USA Swimming for a DUI in the fall of 2014 that prevented him from competing in the 2015 World Championships; thus he would be relegated to swimming in the USA Swimming National Championships, which were happening right around the same time.
Le Clos went even further by saying, "Look, I don't want to say it's easy to swim by yourself [against lesser competition at the USA Swimming National Championships than at Worlds], but it's a lot harder when you know Chad le Clos is coming back at you the last 50 meters. That's what he's got to think about really."
Strong words, Chad. Strong words. Confidence is appreciated -- no, expected -- in an Olympic champion. But there is a big difference between being confident and going straight up to the bear and poking it. Just ask Michael Cavic.
Phelps, who has always stated he will let his swimming do the talking, responded with this -- a 50.45 in the 100m butterfly, faster than le Clos' time of 50.56 and a time that would have won the 2015 World Championships.
So, naturally this "feud" spilled into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where le Clos famously was seen on NBC cameras shadowboxing in front of Phelps in the ready room prior to the semifinals of the 200m butterfly. Thus, the "Phelps Face" was born.
What happened? Phelps won the 200m butterfly at the 2016 Olympics with a 1:53.36, and le Clos faded to fourth -- off the podium -- in 1:54.06.
Afterward, le Clos called that fourth-place finish "the worst performance of my career." He went on to say, "There will never be another worse performance in that event, doesn't matter what I have to do."
Le Clos has moved forward and shifted his focus to the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
"I want to win that 200m fly badly. I am training for that and will hopefully win gold this year. So that is my goal," le Clos told the Independent Online South Africa back in February.
"I want it that bad. I just want Phelps to come back. I've had nightmares about that. I wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat over that race."
Fortunately for le Clos, he will have the opportunity to shift away from that nightmare and back into his dream as he has already qualified for Worlds in both of his signature events. Currently, le Clos is first in the world this year in the 100 (51.29) and fifth in the 200 (1:55.00).
How will the South African swimmer set himself up for the World Championships? Stay tuned for extensive coverage of the Mare Nostrum to watch le Clos and a slew of other international greats -- Olympic champions, world champions, and more -- live, exclusively on FloSwimming.
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