By Rosalba O’Brien
LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) – Sobbing on the top of the
podium, South Africa’s Chad Le Clos looked like he could hardly
believe that he had not only won a gold medal but beaten his
hero Michael Phelps to do so.
Le Clos stole the 200 metres butterfly title from Phelps in
the dying seconds, just getting to the wall 0.05 seconds before
the American on Tuesday and the outcome was ironic, given
Phelps’ famous ability to execute masterful finishes.
“I felt like him, swimming that last 50 I felt like I was
Phelps,” said Le Clos. “I always wanted to swim in an Olympic
Games and I wanted to be like him.
“I always remembered Phelps coming off the last wall
strongly, using that momentum, so that’s what I tried to do.”
Phelps, who sealed his legacy on Tuesday with a record 19th
Olympic medal, praised Le Clos’ performance, describing him as
“a very, very good competitor, a very hard working kid, a very
hungry kid”.
Le Clos’ surprise win came hot on the heels of a gold for
his compatriot Cameron Van der Burgh, who broke the breaststroke
world record on Sunday.
Although the South African relay team finished outside the
medals in both the 4×100 and 4×200 freestyle, the two individual
golds will give the African nation hope that its swimming
programme is undergoing a renaissance.
The South Africans took three medals in Athens but was
disappointed to go home empty-handed from Beijing and the
20-year-old Le Clos said the future looked positive, with a
group of young athletes waiting in the wings.
Continued…
