If this is it for Le Clos, he goes out as one of SA’s greatest athletes

Though he seems confident that he will be back for the 2024 Games in Paris, the reality is that Chad le Clos’ Olympic career may well be over.

And while he might not have bathed himself in glory in Tokyo, finishing fifth in the 200m butterfly final and falling out in the 100m heats, if this is the end of the road for the former prodigy, he has done more than enough for us to celebrate.

After stunning Michael Phelps to win gold in the 200m fly at the London Olympics, at the age of 20, Le Clos probably hasn’t achieved as much as we expected from him.

His best opportunity to shine was at the 2016 Rio Games, and though he stepped on the podium twice, he just didn’t pull through with the bag of medals which had been predicted four years earlier.

Despite this apparent failure, however, he can look back on a spectacular career.

Since 2010, Le Clos has won 14 world titles in the long-course and short-course formats.

He also boasts 17 medals from three editions of the Commonwealth Games, including a record seven podium places at the 2014 showpiece in Glasgow.

While he is seemingly past his prime in terms of form and speed, he still holds the African records in the 100m butterfly (50.56 seconds), the 200m butterfly (1:52.96) and the 200m freestyle (1:45.20).

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A two-time SA Sportsman of the Year, he is also the only man to have won the overall title four times in the short-course World Cup series.

Most notably, even if he doesn’t make the podium in Paris in a few years, he already holds the unique distinction of being the only South African to have earned four Olympic medals (one gold and three silver).

After carrying the national flag at the opening ceremony in Tokyo, Le Clos had exuded a sense of self-belief ahead of his third Olympic campaign, and he was clearly devastated after crashing out in the 100m heats as his Games came to a close.

He told media afterwards that he would be back in Paris in the chase for the podium, but the 29-year-old star is going to have to dig deep if he hopes to reclaim his best form.

It’s difficult to suggest that he won’t be able to do it, as Le Clos has repeatedly proved what he can do when he has the desire, but considering how fast his younger opponents are getting, one more Games might be a bridge too far.

But it won’t matter. Regardless of when Le Clos does call it quits, he will retire as one of South Africa’s all-time greatest athletes in any sport, and it’s a tag he has truly earned.