Fire and Glory: Chad le Clos and dad Bert on 21 medals, Sea Point blaze and the road to LA 2028
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South African swimming legend Chad le Clos has made history, becoming the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history with 21 medals., In this interview with Biznews, Chad and his father, Bert, reflect on a nine-year quest to reach this milestone, which is a journey Chad says ranks alongside his iconic 2012 Olympic gold. However, this athletic peak was met with a personal disaster: a blaze at his Sea Point apartment in Cape Town. While Chad was overseas, the fire gutted his home, destroying irreplaceable trophies like his Sportsman of the Year and provincial awards. Even his car keys melted inside the flat, leaving his vehicles stranded outside. Despite the loss, the le Clos family remains focused on the future. Chad talks about his "Last Dance" targeting the LA 2028 Olympics and the expansion of the Chad le Clos Academy with Virgin Active, We also hear the of how Chad's career inspired Bert to lose 40kg and become "a better person". – Linda van Tilburg
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Edited transcript of the interview
Linda van Tilburg (00:02): South African swimming champion Chad le Clos made history again this year, becoming the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history. He is adding that to a career that includes beating the legendary Michael Phelps at the 2012 Olympic Games, a moment that also turned his father, Bert, into a celebrity in his own right. It has been a big year for the family with plenty to celebrate, but also heartbreak along the way. They are joining me now. Hi guys, how are you?
Chad le Clos (00:52): Hey, how are you doing? Thanks for having us, Linda.
Linda van Tilburg (00:55): Very well, thank you. Chad, 21 medals, the most decorated in Commonwealth Games history. Where does that sit for you?
Chad le Clos (01:05): Honestly, Linda, it is probably up there with the Olympic Gold in London. That is obviously the highlight of my career and my life to date. I have been chasing those 21 medals for a very long time; it has been almost a nine-year quest. We knew before the 2018 Gold Coast games that 18 was the number, but we were one short. Then in Birmingham, we were equalling the record, but at the same time, Emma McKeon was getting 20 medals. We knew we had a lot of work to do. I am just super relieved, grateful, and humbled by the whole experience.
Linda van Tilburg (01:47): And you like to post your dad’s reaction. Bert, watching from the stands, how did you feel about this one?
Bert le Clos (01:53): It is difficult for me because I am a dad, and as long as my kid is happy, I am happy. In this case, we were all happy because, as Chad pointed out, he was supposed to have broken it eight years ago, but circumstances, injuries, and life happened. It is not as easy as just putting your head down and swimming; everyone else trains just as hard as Chad. Now that he has it, I am overwhelmingly happy.
Linda van Tilburg (02:30): Chad, was your dad’s reaction as enthusiastic as back in London?
Chad le Clos (02:39): This is how he always is on a day-to-day basis. It was incredible having both my parents and my mom there, as well as my older brother Justin and his family. My very first Commonwealth Games gold medal on the first of October 2010 was the same day my brother's daughter, Riley, was born. She was there watching 14 years later, which makes it a beautiful full-circle moment for the whole family.
Linda van Tilburg (03:25): Amid all this, there was a terrible loss for you, Chad. Tell us about your flat in Sea Point, what happened, and how you are doing now?
Chad le Clos (03:34): It has been a tough couple of days, but I like to keep perspective. Unfortunately, a neighbour, Mr. Strime, lost his life, so I am just grateful that we are all alive. I still feel super blessed. I won 21 medals, but that night I got the news my apartment had burned down; there was completely nothing left to salvage. We are still waiting for everything to come through, but I am happy to be home.
Linda van Tilburg (04:16): Hopefully the medals and trophies were somewhere else?
Chad le Clos (04:20): I lost pretty much all my trophies. A lot of the big medals were still in Durban, but we are waiting to get into the apartment because it is a Police matter due to the loss of life. From the videos, it looks like there is nothing to salvage. We were overseas at the time, and our car keys melted inside the flat, so we have no keys for the cars parked outside.
Bert le Clos (04:55): His trophies, the Sportsman of the Year and Sportsman of the Province awards, those are gone and they are irreplaceable. The flat and the walls are replaceable, but you can’t buy those awards back. But as Chad said, the most important thing is family. We are blessed in many other ways.
Linda van Tilburg (06:05): You set up a fund for your neighbours. How is that going?
Chad le Clos (06:09): It has been really good. We set up a GoFundMe for the neighbours who tragically lost their homes, and all of that goes toward them through the Chad le Clos Foundation. I have received great donations, and I want to thank everyone. Even in the wake of this tragedy, I have everything to look forward to; I still have my parents, and I still have my career. I am 34, still swimming, and still competing with the best in the world.
Linda van Tilburg (07:02): So, the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 LA 2028, that is what you are training for now?
Chad le Clos (07:06): It is an exciting time for myself and South African swimming. My focus is on the next Olympics, with World Championships in Budapest and Beijing in between, leading to what I call the "last dance" in LA. I am very motivated because I can still compete at the highest level. I want to give a huge shout-out to my coach, Delon Dannhauser and my team at the Chad le Clos Academy.
Linda van Tilburg (08:07): Bert, in the interview you called him a "pensioner." Were you just winding him up?
Bert le Clos (08:14): He is a pensioner in the game, and he is taking it in a very mature way. You have to be happy with your career so you don’t have too many regrets. He is looking at the positives, and this "last dance" is all you could ever wish for as a father. Irrespective of medals, he has achieved so much.
Linda van Tilburg (09:49): How much do you actually swim to get to these big competitions?
Chad le Clos (09:57): Back in the day, I was swimming ten sessions a week, roughly 24 hours and 45 to 65 kilometres a week. Now, we do much less volume and focus on intensity and the gym to make small improvements at my age. The greatest swimmer we have known retired at 27 and then again at 31, so I am blessed to still be going at 34. I am not going to put a label on 2028; if I am still competitive, there is no reason for me to retire. I am doing this because I want to be here.
Linda van Tilburg (09:24): So, are you injury-free at the moment, or how's your body holding up?
Chad le Clos (09:29): Yeah, so far we're okay. We've got a couple of bumps and bruises. But yeah, I think just having a bit of downtime now, and then obviously we're gonna push on towards the next phase of the cycles. But yeah, just also, you know, I need to enjoy a little bit of downtime, let the body heal and then obviously come back for December. So, that's a big one for us.
Linda van Tilburg (11:12): Bert, you told the BBC that Chad changed your life. In what way?
Bert le Clos (11:19): In every way. When he was twelve, I was 140 kilos. Since London, I have lost 40 kilos. He made me give up smoking, and now I walk and I am healthier than ever. He made me a better person and a better father.
Linda van Tilburg (12:02): Chad, tell us about your Swimming Academy. What is the vision?
Chad le Clos (12:07): We have partnered with Virgin Active, which has a massive presence in South Africa and globally. We are overseeing swimming for Virgin Active, currently in 20 health clubs with a goal of going international. We call ourselves the "Home of Swimming," with over 8,400 members in our learn-to-swim program. It is a legacy project for me. We want to harness younger talent and ensure they aren't pushed too hard too early. We don't want them becoming "child stars," but rather building up the right way. We currently have eleven clubs and almost 10,000 swimmers, and we plan to be the biggest club in the world eventually.
Linda van Tilburg (14:27): Would you like to keep kids in South Africa, so they don’t all go off to the States to train?
Chad le Clos (14:33): That is the plan. By the end of next year, we hope to have close to 45 clubs with gyms and pools, a "one-stop shop" for swimming.
Bert le Clos (15:21): I couldn’t be prouder. Whatever he does now is just the "cheese on top of the cake".
Chad le Clos (16:01): I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone in South Africa, the UK, and around the world for the support. I am also hosting the South African Sports Awards and carrying the flag for the Springboks vs. All Blacks game in Cape Town. It is a massive honour. If I can inspire as many kids as I can, that would be my end goal. The medals will hopefully be broken one day, but the legacy is how I helped kids achieve their dreams.
Linda van Tilburg (17:31): We are always rooting for you. Both Chad and Bert, thank you so much.
Chad le Clos (17:35): Thank you very much. God bless you all