A young Chad Le Clos grew up in Durban, South Africa, dreaming of becoming an Olympian. In 2012, at the London Olympics, he achieved that and more when he defeated American swimming legend Michael Phelps in the men’s 200m butterfly final. He touched the wall just 0.05 seconds ahead of Phelps to win gold on his Olympic debut. Three more Olympic medals later, his career took a hit, with personal issues and injuries keeping him medal-less at the Tokyo and Paris 2024 Games. But the South African swimmer still refuses to give up and is targeting participation at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. Ahead of that, he made his mindset about sport and success clear.

“There’s no excuses in sport,” Le Clos told Olympics.com. “You’re either the champion or you’re in the final or you’re not.” Le Clos said he often hears younger swimmers explain results by pointing to small mistakes inside the race, something he refuses to lean on. But he believes, “There’s no ‘but’. There’s no ‘buts’ to being Olympic champion. There’s no ‘but’ to being world champion.”

The 34-year-old added, “You either are the world champion or you’re not. That’s the way I’ve always viewed sport. And I don’t make excuses.”

For Le Clos, that mindset comes from a career shaped by both highs and setbacks. In the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, he suffered a Grade 2 tear in his upper trapezius muscle during training in Germany, an injury that came just weeks before the Games and disrupted his final preparation. He still competed in Paris, but he was not at full fitness. He finished 24th overall in the 100m butterfly with a time of 52.24 seconds, missing out on the semi-finals.

After Paris 2024, he stepped away from swimming for six months, unsure whether his body could still handle elite competition. “I still had the fire to compete, but I didn’t know if the body was enough,” Le Clos said.

That break gave him time to recover and reset. When he returned in 2025, he showed he was still capable of competing at a strong level. He raced on the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup circuit and won bronze in the 100m butterfly in Carmel, USA, clocking 49.57 seconds against an international field. He also added national titles in South Africa, including gold in the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle at the 2025 short-course championships.

That return to form has pushed him toward another major goal, a possible fifth Olympic appearance at Los Angeles 2028, where he would be 36 years old. At an age when many swimmers have already retired — Phelps himself retired at the age of 31 after the Rio 2016 Olympics — he is still pushing to compete at the top level and extend his career. And he believes he is mentally very strong for the Olympics.

“My mind is strong. If this race was in the mind, I’d beat all these guys, no problem. I’m the strongest guy here mentally; that’s what I believe. In my mind, I’m always number one. I’ve always been number one, so it’s not about where I think I can go. It’s just about if the body can let me do that too,” Le Clos continued in his interview with Olympics.com.

Le Clos will be looking to add to his Olympic medal collection two years later at the biggest stage. But for now, his focus is firmly on the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will take place in Glasgow from July 23rd to August 2nd. He has a chance to create history there, as he is just one medal shy of becoming the most decorated male athlete in the event’s history.

Chad Le Clos is chasing history in Glasgow

Le Clos, who began his swimming career at around eight years old, first burst onto the scene at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He won five medals in Delhi: gold in the 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley, silver in the 4x100m medley relay, and bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x200m freestyle relay.

Since then, the South African has gone on to have one of the most decorated careers in Commonwealth Games history, winning 18 medals in total. Seven of those are gold, four are silver, and seven are bronze. It was his silver medal in 2022, the only one he won that year, that took him to that total, leaving him one short of becoming the male athlete with the most medals in Commonwealth Games history. He’s currently tied with Australian shooter Phillip Adams and English shooter Mick Gault.

Le Clos is expected to enter three or four events this year, and given his recent record of injuries, it’ll be difficult to consider him a favorite in any of them. But just two medals would see him draw level with Australia’s Emma McKeon, who has won 20 Commonwealth Games medals (men and women combined). Three medals would put him alone at the top.