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“I just kept thinking I wanted to be up there on that podium,” le Clos said. “I wanted to be in that race with him. I wanted to give him a run for his money. I wanted to make him proud. I told myself I would tell him he was my hero. So that’s what I did.”
Phelps responded by softly tapping le Clos on the shoulder and briefly putting his arm around him. “I think he knew already,” le Clos said. “He told me he would wish me luck for the future and said he really wanted to watch me do great things. That’s why I was so emotional afterwards. He was the reason I swam the butterfly. It’s not a joke. If you think about it, it’s kind of crazy. That’s why I swim the 200 freestyle, both the I.M.s. I don’t swim it for any other reason than just because Michael does.”
The moment touched le Clos’ father, Bert. “It’s like Larry Holmes and Muhammad Ali,” he said. “I mean, this is my son’s hero. When [Phelps] put his arm around Chad, it’s unbelievable. Michael is the most gentlemanly person in sport. From the le Clos family to the Phelps family, I want them to know how much we appreciate everything Michael did for us. He changed my family’s life.”
