Chad le Clos Returning from Injury to Race at South African Short Course Championships
Four-time Olympic medalist Chad le Clos is scheduled to make his return to major competition at the South African National Short Course Championships, which will run from Sept. 25-28 in Pietermaritzburg. The Olympic champion in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2012 Games in London, le Clos has been sidelined by a back injury that kept him out of last summer’s World Championships in Singapore.
But the 33-year-old’s recovery has gone well and he is preparing for an appearance at the upcoming World Cup circuit in North America, which will kick off next month. Le Clos indicated that his World Cup participation will likely be limited. He is also focused on the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which are slated for Glasgow.
“My back is feeling good… feeling great,” le Clos told Swimming South Africa. “I’m going to be heading to the World Cup afterwards, probably just swimming one leg. We’ll see how we go.
“I raced a couple of weeks ago in Cape Town, so we’ll see if we can build on that and then build for a big Commonwealth next year, big trials next year. By then we’ll have a good squad up and running and it’s going to be very exciting. I can’t wait.”
Le Clos is scheduled to compete in the 100 freestyle, along with the 50 butterfly and 100 fly at the South African Champs. He’ll also race the 50 backstroke.
In addition to winning a gold and three silver medals during his Olympic career, le Clos is a four-time world champion and has won seven medals at the World Championships in butterfly events.
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