Adnaan Mohamed
Chad le Clos has spent 16 years collecting Commonwealth Games medals. On day two in Glasgow 2026 he collected the one that elevated him above every male athlete in the event’s history.
The colour hardly mattered.
South Africa’s men’s 4x100m freestyle relay quartet claimed bronze behind Australia and England, with Le Clos producing a blistering 48.29-second anchor split to steer Team SA onto the podium at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
The medal was the 19th Commonwealth Games medal of Le Clos’ extraordinary career, making the 34-year-old the most decorated male athlete in the history of the Games.
It is a record that has been 5,772 days in the making.
Le Clos opened his Commonwealth account with gold in New Delhi in October 2010. Since then he has amassed five medals in India, seven in Glasgow in 2014, five on the Gold Coast in 2018, one in Birmingham in 2022 and now the history-making bronze back in Glasgow.
The relay medal was no ceremonial farewell.
Le Clos delivered the fastest split of the South African quartet, finishing ahead of teammates Pieter Coetze, Guy Brooks and Ruard van Renen on the anchor leg to underline his enduring quality.
Although celebrated globally for his butterfly exploits, the Durban swimmer has long proved his versatility. He won Olympic silver in the 200m freestyle at Rio 2016 and Commonwealth silver in the 100m freestyle two years later.
Eight of his 19 Commonwealth medals have now come in relay events, with his overall tally standing at seven gold, four silver and eight bronze medals.
An emotional Le Clos immediately shifted the spotlight onto his teammates, two of whom collected their first senior international medals.
“I couldn’t have done it without the boys, everyone pulled their weight tonight. The nerves were definitely there, we needed the medal, and do it for South Africa. It capped off a phenomenal night for the swimmers.
“I’m obviously delighted to get medal No.19, and it’s something I’ve been chasing for eight years. I’m super proud. It was 12 years ago when I was a 22-year-old and we got a medal in this event, and Roland Schoeman was 34. Now, I’m 34 and there are youngsters in this team who have incredible futures.”
Le Clos joked that he has become the shortest and oldest swimmer in another South African relay team that has etched its name into the history books.
“I was very nervous tonight, probably the most nervous of the four boys. But I knew once Pieter dived in that we’d do it. Guy and Ruard were incredible and two of them were winning their first senior medals.
“My dad was in tears… it’s all very emotional. I’ve never given up and there’s been a lot of dark times. I’m a dog in a dogfight though and once I’m in one I give it everything.”
For an athlete who has inspired generations of South African swimmers, medal No.19 felt like another finish and the perfect full circle. The teenager who burst onto the Commonwealth stage in 2010 is now the veteran leading the next wave, with a place in history that is unlikely to be challenged anytime soon.
