Le Clos bids to be the best

Wesley Bo on

Though he admits he is not the favourite on paper, Chad le Clos (above) believes he has the grit and determination to outclass his more fancied freestyle opponents at the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast in April.

Confirming he would defend his 100m and 200m butterfly crowns, Le Clos said he would also compete in the 50m sprint in his specialist stroke after grabbing bronze in Glasgow four years ago.

And while he admitted a repeat of his record seven-medal haul at the 2014 showpiece was unlikely without full-strength SA relay teams, due to selection issues, he hoped to bag four individual medals by stepping on the podium for the first time in the 200m freestyle.

After losing out in defence of his 200m butterfly title at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Le Clos had stunned the field to grab silver in the four-length freestyle race, and he was confident of challenging in the discipline once again.

“In Australia it’s going to be hard to beat those guys, and I don’t think I’m the best 200m freestyler in the group,” Le Clos said.

“I think I’m probably fourth or fifth best, but I believe I’m a lot tougher than those boys and with the game plan, with the experience, I feel I can maybe cause another upset.”

Le Clos felt his build-up was going well after recovering from a groin injury which had prevented him from kicking in training last month.