Chad le Clos: Facebook
An emotional Chad le Clos claimed a long-awaited gold medal in the 200m butterfly at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne on Thursday.
The former Olympic champion pounced in the final 50m to win in a new lifetime best – and African record time - of 1:48.27 that was almost a full second ahead of second-placed Daiya Seto of Japan.
Le Clos burst into tears at the realisation that he’d finally got his hands back on the title he last won in 2016.
“This is a big win for me. I’ve taken so many losses in the last two years. A lot of people doubted me, the swimming world doubted me, but the king is back,” said an elated Le Clos afterwards.
"It's very hard to describe what this World Title means to me," wrote the 30-year-old on his Facebook page.
"One year ago I was in a very dark place and rock bottom, today I am world champion. Never give up, never give in and always believe in yourself.
“I had a change of mindset, I was fighting too much with myself and trying desperate-man swimming… a big thank you to my coach, Dirk Lange, for all the changes he’s made in the last 10 weeks."
Chad also thanked his family, sponsors and everyone else who has supported him and promised that this is only the beginning.
Le Clos will be back in the pool on Saturday for the 100m butterfly.
