As one of the most decorated South Olympians of all time, Chad le Clos carries a huge responsibility as a professional swimmer. Today, he is best known as the man of honors.
Well, Chad is the World and Commonwealth Games champion and record holder in the 50 and 100-meter butterfly.
Talking about his honors, there are much more in-depth to cover up. At the moment, Chad also represents the Energy Standard in the International Swimming League.
Ever since his early days, Chad has been a promising athlete.
With it, we will dive deeper into his life and discuss his journey in detail.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos |
| Date of Birth | 12 April 1992 |
| Birth Place | Durban, South Africa |
| Nick Name | Unknown |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | South African |
| Ethnicity | Unknown |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Age | 32 years old |
| Height | 1.89 meters (6 feet 2 inches) |
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Bert le Clos |
| Mother’s Name | Geraldine le Clos |
| Siblings | Three siblings; Bianca Matos, Justin le Clos, and Jordan le Clos |
| Education | Penzance Primary School Westville Boys’ High School |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Girlfriend | Jeanni Mulder |
| Kids | None |
| Profession | Swimmer |
| Club | Energy Standard |
| Strokes | Butterfly, freestyle, individual medley |
| Active Since | 2010 |
| Net Worth | $1.5 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Road to Glory (Book) |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Body Measurements
Chad le Clos is a handsome athlete with a toned physical body. With dark brown hair and similar eye color, he flaunts his muscular body.
Well, Chad towers at the height of 1.89 meters (6 feet 2 inches) while weighing 84 kg (185 lb).
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Workout
Alongside his coach, Chad makes sure that he is in the water most of the time. Indeed, he has a gruesome training routine that starts on a Monday, with Tuesday afternoon off, continuing on Wednesday through Saturday.
Also, his training session may last as per the requirements. Well, he has ten training sessions a week on average with three gym lessons.
Altogether, it amounts to 60 to 90 km of swimming per week, with Sundays as his rest day.
Currently, he has been training in and around his hometown of Durban. Even for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he commenced training strictly, and initially, he was training in the pool of 10 meters, which was too small.
Eating Habits
“My training in the lead-up to swimming events is intense, and I rely on snacks to give me enough energy throughout the day to best prepare me for my training sessions – hours and hours in the pool!”
-Chad le Clos
As Chad has said, snacking is quite important for him, and he believes that eating continuously in a time frame is the key to his health.
Also, he loves snacking on biltong, nuts, and bananas from time to time.
Additionally, he stated that he likes to have a bit of everything to fuel his energy.
Chad le Clos | Early Life
Chad le Clos (fully named: Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos) was born on 12 April 1992 to his parents, Geraldine le Clos and Bert le Clos. Talking about his parent’s descent, his father, Bert, is a Mauritian.
Well, he moved to South Africa when he was a nine-year-old boy and met Le Clos’s mother, Geraldine. Clos’ mother is of South African descent. Also, he is one of the four children of a tight-knit family.
His other three siblings are Bianca Matos, Justin le Clos, and Jordan le Clos.
Ever since his early childhood days, Chad le Clos was an active child, and his first love came to the sport of football. Actually, he was and is still an avid Manchester United fan.
Moving on, his whole family is into football, and hence, he was deeply attached to it.
Amateur Career
Chad le Clos had started swimming while in the Penzance Primary School; however, he only took it seriously after reaching high school.
Well, it was his primary school teacher Lindsay Manthey, who saw his potential in swimming and encouraged him to take it on.
Following it, he enrolled in the Seagulls Swimming Club at the age of eight, where Graham Hill starred as his coach. Herewith, he only commenced competitively when he was around 12 or 13 years old.
In the meantime, he also left playing football. Chad studied Westville Boys’ High School in Durban, South Africa, matriculating in 2010.
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Chad le Clos | Professional Career
Commonwealth Games
Chad le Clos initially appeared at the 2010 Commonwealth games in New Delhi, India.
During his tenure, he collected 2 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. At the same time, Chad broke the 200-meter butterfly and the 400-meter individual medley record and gained the titles.
Later, Chad starred in the 2014 Commonwealth games, where he partook in seven events and won all of them.
Apparently, he had gold in the 100m and 200m butterfly. Again, in the 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games, Chad set history to become the most successful Commonwealth swimmer of all time.
Back then, he bagged three gold’s in the 50m, 100m, and 200m butterfly, along with a silver in the 100m freestyle and bronze in 4x100m medley.
World Championships
The grand title of the 2010 World Short Course Championships in Dubai, Chad, took it away from the former champions.
The next year at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, he couldn’t bag first place.
However, he stood fifth in the 200-meter butterfly, 13th in the 100-meter butterfly, and 10th in the 4 × 100 m medley relay.
Likewise, in the 2013 Long Course World Championship event, Chad started with a rough start as he ended 23rd in the 50-meter butterfly.
By the end of the event, he bagged the 200-meter butterfly and the 100-meter fly with a new national record of 51.06. In 2014, Chad collected 4 golds at a well-attended World Short Course Swimming Championships.
Well, his medals were from the 50 butterfly, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, and 200 freestyle.
Moving on to the 2015 World Championship, Chad le Clos defended his previous title in the 100m butterfly.
In the meantime, he stood 14th in the semifinals of the 50-meter butterfly, second in the 200m butterfly, and 6th in the 200m freestyle.
Following it, he bagged another major win in the 200-meter butterfly of the 2017 Long Course World Championship
. It was the very time when he defeated László Cseh at the 2017 World Aquatic Swimming Championships.
His next medal came in the 2019 Long Course World Championships, as he won 100 Butterfly and 200 Butterfly with bronze.
Olympics
Chad le Clos initially partook in the Olympics in 2012, where he stood fifth in the 400m individual medley of the first day. On the fourth day, he bagged a gold medal in the 200m butterfly.
What got more interesting that day is more than his gold medal. Well, most people watch their idol from afar, but Clos comes face to face and defeats them. Jokes apart, Chad did bag the medal defeating his idol, Michael Phelps.
Later on the fourth day, Chad won a silver medal in the 100m butterfly. All his accomplishments that year on the media bought him tons of limelight for him and his family.
Altogether, Chad stood as the most decorated South African athlete in the 2016 Olympics.
At first bagged silver in the 200-meter freestyle event, 4th in the 200-meter butterfly, and silver in the 100-meter butterfly.
Indeed, due to his achievements of mostly silver, there was numerous dissatisfaction.
At the same time, he also faced his idol, Michael Phelps, and many stated it to be a tight relationship between the two.
As for his recent game, Chad stood sixth in Swimming Heat 6 for the Men’s 100m Butterfly race of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Likewise, he was fifth in the Men’s 200m Butterfly race.
International Swimming League
In 2019, Chad le Clos became a member of the International Swimming League. For it, he competed as a part of Energy Standard Swim Club, where he was the co-captain with Sarah Sjostrom.
During the interval, Chad won the 100m / 200m Butterfly double three times over the season (Indianapolis, Naples, and London). Likewise, he also bagged the 100 m freestyle.
Therefore, in December, he bagged his solo MVP title and even the overall title in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also, he was the fourth swimmer with the most point that year.
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Chad le Clos | Achievements and Awards
As one of the top-tier swimmers, Chad le Clos has had numerous awards, glitz, and achievements throughout the years. Back on 27 April 2013, he gained the silver Order of Ikhamanga.
This award was especially passed onto him for his accomplishment in the international swimming arena.
Also, the award was passed down by the Chairperson of the National Orders Advisory Council, Dr. Cassius Lubisi.
The same year, the Durban University of Technology, the City of Durban, and the DUT Journalism Advisory Board hosted an event to award him.
Well, Chad became the KZN Newsmaker of the Year 2013 at the Durban City Hall. However, his father received the award on his behalf.
Some of his other achievements and awards are listed below.
- 2010 Daily News SPAR Sports Person of the Year
- 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore (five medals)
- Daily News SPAR Sports Person of the Year in 2010
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2011 Overall FINA World Cup Series winner
- 2012 Olympics in London (gold in 200-meter butterfly and silver in the 100-meter butterfly)
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2013 Overall FINA World Cup Series winner
- 2014 FINA Swimmer of the Year
- SwimSwam’s 2014 Swammy Award-winner for Male Swimmer of the Year
- 2016 Summer Olympics (silver in the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly)
- 2017 ANOC Awards (Best Athlete from Africa)
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2019 ISL Series Champions – Energy Standard
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2019 ISL Match MVP – London
Injury
Well, a life of an athlete is bound to have numerous unwanted and coincidental injuries down the way. Some severe, some minor, while some forcing them to quit their future.
In fact, his early life also started with a groin injury that he faced while playing football as a kid. As he would nurse his wound, he would watch his idol on television.
Chad le Clos has broken both his adductors and had the rotator cuff in the shoulder throughout the years.
Not to mention, he has also faced countless injuries due to his muscle overuse. Also, among all his exercises, Chad opened up that his stroke and butterfly put loads of stress on his shoulder.
Chad le Clos | Net Worth
Although Chad le Clos hasn’t opened up yet regarding his career earnings, he reportedly has a net worth of $1.5 million. Also, his salary is yet under review.
At present, Chad le Clos is the brand ambassador, coach, and spokesperson of Discovery Vitality. Also, he has a brand deal with Professional Sports Group (PSG), YOG, and OMEGA.
Help
Chad le Clos has a heart that is as great as his talent. He has helped in numerous causes and steps. Let’s talk about his recent help while the world is undergoing a crisis.
Well, he helped the struggling swimmers during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
To elaborate, he stood alongside his team, Energy Standard, and decided to take a voluntary 65 percent salary cut. This cut salary will be distributed among the other struggling swimmers.
Chad also runs a non-profit organization named Chad le Clos Foundation, which has helped in several charitable causes.
With the same duration in the pandemic, he assisted CLEC Academy in Claremont in Cape Town with their business.
Apart from it, his foundation aims to develop swimming as a sport in the country. Additionally, it assists underprivileged kids and youths while offering financial help.
Chad le Clos | Girlfriend and Personal Life
Currently, Chad le Clos is in a relationship with a beautiful lady. Well, he is dating Jeanni Mulder since way early, but they made it official in 2018.
The duo has a lovely relationship and often showers love for each other on their social media sites.
So, who exactly is Jeanni Mulder?
Jeanni Mulder is a full-time model who is currently doing a TEFL course to help educate people worldwide to speak English.
Additionally, she has made it to the top ten of Miss South Africa 2021.
Initially, she commenced modeling with the Boss Models at the age of 17. Just a year later, he had already signed with international agencies. Also, she is a lady with artsy nature.
“Who you are and what you have to offer is enough. You are so powerful, and you deserve to be heard. Find your ‘why’ because everything you need to achieve greatness is already inside of you.”
-Jeanni Mulder
Social Media
If you are deeply interested to learn more about his private life and uploads, check out his social media sites. He is on Instagram as Chad le Clos (@chadleclos92) with 242k followers.
Likewise, he is on Twitter as Chad le Clos (@chadleclos) with 252,6k followers.
Quotes
- “When I am on the blocks, I don’t care who you are – I will always try and beat you.”
- “What I want to say is that nobody is unbeatable. There’s a kid out there who probably wants to beat me. I train hard and try to be the best that I can be, but I don’t disrespect my opponents. And I am not disillusioned, either.”
- “I want to get faster every year, keep my confidence high, so I can continue dominating my main events, and extend my range to other freestyle and medley races.”
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Chad le Clos | FAQs
Is there any book on Chad le Clos?
Chad le Clos writes the book ‘Unbelievable’ alongside another author Myan Subrayan. Well, the book is about family, values, and perseverance.
In the description, this book provides his journey to success and him realizing his ultimate goals.
