The epic rivalry sparking off between Olympic legend Michael Phelps and South African competitive swimmer Chad le Clos has quite an interesting story behind it. The fact that the young swimmer once offended the legend explicitly unfolds the beef between the two champions.

The famous le Clos–Phelps conflict is a hot topic for many. In fact, many will be surprised to know the fact that Chad le Clos once considered Phelps, his hero. This makes us wonder, what might have actually happened. Guess what went down between the duo?

The beef between Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos

According to an SB Nation report in 2016, the clash started at the 2012 Olympic Games held in London. The then 20-year-old Chad proved to be a stunner after his performance at the 200m butterfly event. He won his first gold by beating former champion Michael Phelps with a 0.05 seconds time gap. This was the American swimmer’s foremost loss at the Olympics. However, the duo shared an amiable bond post-event and had even planned a trip together in 2013.

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Soon after Phelps’s retirement, le Clos went on to take the spotlight from the swimming legend. Nonetheless, Phelps declared his return in 2015 and this was something Clos hadn’t expected. While Phelps was restricted from competing due to a DUI trouble in 2014, the African swimmer seized gold in the 100m butterfly event held at the 2015 World Championships.

Read More | “It’s Hard to Grasp”: After Shattering Yet Another Michael Phelps Record, 16-Year-Old Swimming Prodigy “Left Speechless”

“Michael Phelps has been talking about how slow the butterfly events have been recently, I just did a time he hasn’t done in four years. So, he can keep quiet now.” Chad remarked. On that matter, Michael responded, “Chad liked me, and then he didn’t like me. He said I was his hero, and then he was calling me out.” 

Rivalry among swimmers is not an unusual affair

The le Clos–Phelps conflict is added to the list of several others. American swimmer Lilly King’s discord with Russian competitor Yulia Efimova arose when the latter was found guilty of using prohibited substances. Another instance would be the dispute between Mack Horton (an Aussie freestyle swimmer) and Sun Yang (a Chinese swimmer) after he failed the PED checks.

Evidently, beef among swimmers is routine. And obviously, competing without a little aggression isn’t fun. However, the athletes surely manage to keep it professional and proceed with mutual respect. Let us know what you thought of the truth behind the famous rivalry between the duo.

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