He may have been one of the first SA swimmers to qualify for the Olympics, but Chad le Clos wasn’t the first person in his household to secure their trip to the London Olympics.
In fact, his parents had booked their tickets to the British capital months in advance, not knowing whether their son would qualify for the tournament.
But the 20-year-old swimmer not only qualified for the London games, he did so in style. He qualified in every one of the events he participated in and will be racing in six events, which is an SA record for the Olympics.
Le Clos will swim individual medleys, the 400m and 200m, and both the 100m and 200m butterfly races.
His 14-year-old brother, Jordan le Clos, knows very well that if his brother is to win a medal at the Olympics, he will need all the support he can get.
“I try to support my brother in every way possible, even if it means me not making any noise when he is sleeping,” said Jordan.
“It is very important to have family love and support and Chad has got lots of it as we have a big family.”
He added that he was eager to see his brother compete at the Olympics.
“I am extremely excited that he will be competing and I really hope he does well.
“I have spoken to Chad a few times and he has told me that his aim is to make the finals, but I’m pretty confident he can go all the way and win a medal.”
Meanwhile, Le Clos said that preparations for the Olympics had been going well and that he was “excited” to make his debut at the London games, which kick off in 62 days.
“Preparations are going according to plan. I’ve pretty much been training all my life, not only specifically for London, but also for the 2016 games,” he said.
“I have been very blessed.”