Tokyo Olympics: Chad Le Clos wants to be 'best athlete South Africa has ever had'

When you've beaten history's most decorated Olympian in his prime, with Michael Phelps boasting a staggering 23 gold medals, you might think that could be enough to cement a place in your nation's sporting pantheon.

But that's not the case for South Africa's Chad Le Clos.

Like his hero Phelps, the 29-year-old is his country's most medalled swimmer, with the gold he won against the American at the 2012 Olympics joining the three silvers collected in both London and Rio de Janeiro four years ago.

This is not enough to satisfy the Durban-born swimming star though.

"I really do want to be recognised as the best," he told BBC Sport Africa. "I want them to say: 'Chad Le Clos - not only the guy that beat Michael Phelps, but the best athlete South Africa has ever had'."

To do this, he will need to up his Olympic medal tally in Tokyo, as three South Africans already have two golds - athlete Caster Semenya (2012, 2016), swimmer Penelope Heyns (1996) and tennis player Charles Winslow (1912).

Le Clos' tally of silvers, which is more than the two-time gold medallists, would take him clear if he can top a podium in Japan.

He will be competing in his third Olympics but, as with nearly all this year's Olympians, his preparations were hugely disrupted by the pandemic, with Covid-19 shutting down South Africa's leading swimming facilities.

"I've had a bad six months," Le Clos told BBC Sport Africa. "It's no secret that we haven't had the greatest build-up."

This article originally appeared on BBC Sport

Photo: CNN