Chad le Clos has cemented his place in Commonwealth Games history after winning a record-breaking 19th medal on the opening day of swimming at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The 34-year-old helped Team SA’s men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team claim bronze at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, becoming the most decorated male athlete in Commonwealth Games history.
Le Clos anchored the South African quartet of Pieter Coetze, Guy Brooks and Ruard van Renen to third place behind Australia and England. His anchor split of 48.29 seconds was the fastest among the South African swimmers, underlining his contribution to the historic achievement.
The bronze medal comes 16 years after Le Clos won his first Commonwealth Games gold in New Delhi on 4 October 2010. It also completes an extraordinary tally of 19 medals across five editions of the Games – five in New Delhi (2010), seven in Glasgow (2014), five on the Gold Coast (2018), one in Birmingham (2022) and now the record-breaking medal in Glasgow (2026).
Of his 19 Commonwealth medals, eight have come in relay events. His overall haul now stands at seven gold, four silver and eight bronze medals.
Speaking after the race, Le Clos paid tribute to his teammates and reflected on the significance of the achievement.
“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 also admitted the pressure of chasing the historic medal weighed heavily on him.
“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.”
The veteran swimmer became emotional as he reflected on the journey to the record.
“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.”
While Le Clos has built his reputation as one of the world’s greatest butterfly swimmers, he has also enjoyed success in freestyle events, including an Olympic silver medal in the 200m freestyle at the Rio 2016 Olympics and Commonwealth Games silver in the 100m freestyle in 2018.
