Chad ready to cough up to reach Games medal target
JOHANNESBURG: Chad le Clos’ chances of becoming the most decorated athlete at the Commonwealth Games at the upcoming quadrennial showpiece in Australia in April hangs in the balance.
While Le Clos has a realistic chance at adding four more medals to his tally in the individual events he will race at the Games, he may well miss out due to South Africa’s relay weaknesses.
Le Clos, who has won a total of 12 medals over two Commonwealth Games, could have had a realistic chance of reaching the 18-medal mark in only his third appearance at the multi-sport event.
Shooters, Briton Mick Gault and Australian Phillip Adams are the joint most decorated athletes at the Games with the 18 medals they each won over six editions.
SA won’t send a 4x100m freestyle team for the first time since Kuala Lumpur 1998 and Le Clos is concerned he may not be given the best chance to go after the record tally.
“Maybe I’m being selfish, but my legacy is on the line here,” Le Clos said.
“When the opportunity beckons, when you have the chance to break the record you must go for it. You can’t say ‘oh well, I’m going to wait for next year’. You don’t hold back, you go for it. You never know, I could break my leg tomorrow … I’ve got to just take these opportunities while I can.”
To highlight his desperation Le Clos said he was willing to raise funds for swimmers to stay outside the athletes’ village if they were selected to only participate in the relay events. “If we take our strongest team we’re challenging for gold in those relays and it gives me a much easier time to get my target of six medals,” Le Clos said. “I’ll even go as far to say I’ll raise the money, I’ll pay for them to come.”
Le Clos was the fastest 100m freestyle swimmer at trials in December, but made it clear he did not want to be considered for the event to make way for another swimmer.
London 2012 Olympian Leith Shankland posted a 100m freestyle qualifying time at the trials, but finished third behind Le Clos and Calvyn Justus to lose out on selection.
The men’s 100m freestyle has been one of the weakest events in recent years, with local swimmers battling to dip below 49 seconds in the blue riband event. The emergence of US-based Zane Waddell has slightly lifted the prospect of fielding a strong 4x100m freestyle relay team. Waddell and SA 100m backstroke record-holder Christopher Reid did not make the trials.
These two swimmers may not be eligible to participate as individuals at the Games because they missed the trials.
Swimming South Africa chief executive Shaun Adriaanse said although the duo would have strengthened the squad, they didn’t meet qualifying criteria.