At 34, Chad le Clos is about a decade older than most of the swimmers he'll race against at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. But don't count him out just yet.
The South African butterfly specialist is on the brink of becoming the most decorated male athlete in Commonwealth Games history. He currently shares the all-time record of 18 medals with two shooters—Phil Adams of Australia and Mick Gault of England. All he needs to do is win one more.
"I'd love to get that title," le Clos told BBC Sport. "That would be amazing."
His journey to this moment hasn't been smooth. Born in Durban, le Clos made his Commonwealth Games debut at just 18 years old in Delhi back in 2010. He won two gold medals that week, but says he never imagined he would still be competing fourteen years later.
"I was still in high school [for Delhi], finishing my final year," he recalled. "I was busy writing exams at the time, but it seemed to be getting better and better each competition."
It did get better—much better. He's since collected seven gold, four silver, and seven bronze Commonwealth medals. He's also an Olympic champion, having won the 200m butterfly at London 2012, and he's claimed 16 world titles along the way.
But recent years brought unexpected challenges. At the 2022 Games in Birmingham, where he tied the medal record, le Clos revealed his preparations had been affected by mental health struggles. He also faced injuries after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The turning point came from an unlikely source: his father's advice to take a complete break from swimming for 12 weeks.
"My dad was like: 'You're taking 12 weeks off. You're not going to do anything. No gym, no swimming, no nothing. Just enjoy yourself,'" le Clos said. "I've never had that break in my life. It was a physical reset. It was just nice to get the body healed."
These days, le Clos has more than just himself to swim for. Back in South Africa, he founded the Chad le Clos Swimming Academy, which now includes 13 clubs and over 3,000 members. He hopes to grow that to 50 clubs within two years.
"We're got some unbelievable kids coming to the system," he said. "I believe in two, three years' time we'll have the biggest club by far in Africa and maybe in the world."
That work has changed his perspective on the sport. Rather than swimming purely for himself, he now races partly for the young swimmers he mentors.
"I think this academy has saved my life," le Clos admitted. "I really don't need to be here anymore. I really want to be here. I'm hungrier than ever to be here."
His love for competition remains as strong as ever.
"I love being under those lights," he said. "It's something I can't explain. It's a drug that's bit me from an early age, and I'm still not able to shake it."
With no plans to retire, le Clos has set his sights on a fifth Olympic appearance in Los Angeles in 2028. But first, there's unfinished business in Glasgow—and a record waiting to be his alone.