Dylan Bettencourt
South African swimmer Chad le Clos made Commonwealth Games history on Sunday night but admits the moment felt bittersweet.
The 30-year-old narrowly missed out on the gold medal in the men’s 200m butterfly despite leading the race with 25m to go.
Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand beat Le Clos to the wall to hand the South African a historic silver medal.
Going into the games in Birmingham, England, Le Clos knew he only needed one medal to tie the record for most medals won at the Games.
And that he did, earning his 18th medal at the Commonwealth Games.
“It feels bittersweet. I’m proud to have the most medals in Commonwealth Games history. I can’t exactly complain,” Le Clos said after the race.
“But I’m pretty sad to not get the gold. I felt like I was destined to win. I felt good.”
The Olympic gold medalist said despite feeling nervous before the race, once he dived into the pool he felt confident he would win.
“I thought it was in the bag after 100 metres. I felt really good, but I guess the piano dropped on my back with 25m to go,” Le Clos said.
“You can’t shake off the fact that I didn’t win tonight. It crushes me a little that I was that close. I thought I had it.”
One last event is in line for Le Clos. The men’s 100m butterfly with the final set for Monday night. He will be looking to earn his 19th medal and go clear as the athlete with the most medals in Commonwealth Games history.
Image source: @SABCSport
