Chad le Clos is adamant that he will redeem himself and return with a gold medal around his neck at the next Olympic games in Paris, France, next year.
Le Clos is one of the greatest swimmers to ever grace the swimming pool, having made a name for himself at the London Olympics in 2012 – where he stunned one of the greatest swimmers of all time, Michael Phelps, in the 200m butterfly and walked away with a gold medal at the age of 19.
His build up to the monumental career was met by a downward trajectory, which saw Le Clos undergo a tough spell in his life – a story that is well documented in his film that is set to be released on June 30 on DStv SuperSport channel.
“We are getting a medal next year, I can’t promise anything, but we really are going to get a medal,” Le Clos said when speaking to Sunday World during the premiere of his documentary Born Racer recently.
“I will be 32 years old next year, I’ll be up against young swimmers that will be at the level I was in when I went up against Michael Phelps, so it is going to be a mountain to climb to win next year.
“Do I believe I can win? Absolutely. Am I there yet? No, I still have a lot of months to get there, and we are going to get there. We will be in the best shape in July 2024, and we are going to get a medal for sure, I can almost guarantee it 100%.
“But you know me, we are not just going for medals there, but we are aiming for gold and if we clip them in the chin they are not getting up, that is the mentality we are going with.
“We are going for the jugular, we are swinging with everything we have and if we get caught, we are not going to go down. But, if I clip them with that right hand, I promise you now, I’m bringing that gold back to South Africa and it’ll be the greatest comeback stories in sports, that I can promise you.”
Le Clos said the timing of the release of his long-awaited documentary and the approaching 2024 Olympics was perfect in him reaching the pinnacle once again.
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