South African Swimming Great Chad Le Clos Equals Commonwealth Games Record

South African Swimming Great Chad Le Clos Equals Commonwealth Games Record

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:08 PM
  • Legendary South African swimming great Chad le Clos' mystique went to another level
  • The 30-year-old Durbanite claimed a silver medal in the men's 200m butterfly event
  • This took him to a record-equalling 18 total medals at the games alongside shooters Michael Gault and Phil Adams

South African swimming star Chad le Clos won his 18th Commonwealth Games medal on Sunday to equal the all-time record after taking silver in the men's 200m butterfly.

Le Clos's milestone comes 10 years to the day since he beat American great Michael Phelps in the same event at the 2012 London Olympics. The total number of medals put him in league with shooters Michael Gault (England) and Phil Adams (Australia).

chad le clos, 18 medals, 2022 commonwealth games, equal record, south africa
South African swimming great Chad le Clos is now one medal away from having the most individual Commonwealth Games medals. Image source: Getty Images.
Source: Getty Images

Swimming out of lane five, the same lane he beat Phelps from, Le Clos was beaten to the wall by Lewis Clareburt with a winning time of one minute, 55.60 seconds.

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However, he could not be denied a place in the record books after finishing just 0.29 seconds back of the New Zealander to claim silver ahead of England's James Guy

According to SuperSport, le Clos:

"I’m gutted not to have won, I’ll be honest. I would've cut my finger off to win tonight. It meant everything to me and my family – everyone’s in the stands, my friends flew out for this race.
"Fair play to Lewis, he had a great race. He said he watched me growing up and I said, 'man, did you have to do it on my day? Could you not have given me one more time?"

A three-time Commonwealth Games champion in the event, Le Clos looked like he might make it four leading with 50m to go but the 30-year-old would be overhauled down the stretch by Lewis, who adds the 200m butterfly title to the 400m individual medley gold he won earlier at the Sandwell Aquatic Centre.

Le Clos's medal haul from four Commonwealth Games includes seven gold, four silver and seven bronze. His trophy case also contains four Olympic (one gold, three silver) and seven world championship medals (four gold, one silver, two bronze).

Tatjana Schoenmaker wins Commonwealth Gold in 200m breaststroke event as Kaylene Corbett grabs bronze

South Africa has its third gold medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

As reported by Sports Brief, Golden girl Tatjana Schoenmaker grabbed the gold as she dominated the Women’s 200m Breaststroke event.

The Olympic champion led from start to finish as she finished ahead of Australia’s Jenna Strauch. South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett finished in third place as South Africa won gold and bronze in the race.

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Keba Mothoagae
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