Chad Le Clos Announces Split From Longtime Coach Graham Hill

Along the same vein as Australian Olympic medalist Mitch Larkin just announcing his coaching change from longtime leader Michael Bohl, one of South Africa’s most successful swimmers has also made it public he will be making a move.

Multiple Olympic medalist Chad Le Clos announced today that he will be leaving South African National Head Coach, Graham Hill, a man under whom 24-year-old Le Clos has trained since he was just 8 years of age.

Arguably Le Clos’ most notable achievement under Hill was claiming gold over American legend Michael Phelps in the men’s 200m butterfly at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Since then, Le Clos has continued to be an international threat across the butterfly events, as well as increasing his presence in the freestyle events as well.

He surged to the top of the podium at the 2013 World Championships in the 100m butterfly and 200m butterfly events, while repeating the former’s world title in 2016. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Le Clos surprise the field with an aggressive silver medal in the 200m freestyle, where his outing produced a 1:45.20 best time, a mark which also now rests as the South African continental record.

Although he finished off the podium in his 200m butterfly pet event, Le Clos held on to be part of a historic 3-way tie with Phelps and Hungarian Laszlo Cseh for silver behind Singaporean Joseph Schooling in the 100m butterfly.

In his official statement on leaving Hill, seen in its entirety below, the Seagulls swimmer says he will be training by himself for the remainder of the year before ultimately making a move to a new home club and coach. The World Champion says he feels ready to ‘try a different approach.’

Hill has been South Africa’s coaching leader at the Olympic Games since 2000 and remains Head Coach of the Seagulls Swimming Club in Durban. He has earned South Africa’s ‘Coach of the Year’ award multiple times at his nation’s Sports Awards, including most recently in 2015.

In an interview in 2014, Le Clos is quoted as saying ‘don’t fix what’s not broken’ in terms of why he’d stayed with childhood coach Hill into his elite years. “Why would I want to change a winning formula?,” Le Clos replied at the time when asked if he would consider moving coaches.

A man of Le Clos’ talent could most likely have his pick of potential training arrangements both domestically and abroad. But, with both of his parents battling cancer, Le Clos’ desire to stay close to home may play a huge factor in deciding where his next training base will be.

 

Graham Hill has done a great job as my coach for 14 years. We have achieved a lot together at every level of the sport: The Olympics, The World Championships, The Commonwealth Games and The FINA World Cups.

However, having considered everything, I have decided to end our agreement and will now start looking to find a new structure for 2017.

For the rest of the 2016 season, I will work by myself. Every athlete has to take responsibility for his or her own career and I feel ready to try a different approach.

I would like though to thank Graham for all his hard work, his advice and his friendship. I’ve been fortunate to have one of the best swimming coaches in the world living so close to my family home here in Durban. It has been an incredible journey together and he and his family will always remain good friends.”

 

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Whoknows
7 years ago

He should swim with David Marsh or Bob Bowman.

Billabong
Reply to  Whoknows
7 years ago

David Marsh is the right guy for the stroke work. Or he could go and swim in Australia and do a combination of hard yards an technique. Marsh is probably the best bet.

Billabong
7 years ago

It’s time for the Squire to do some serious training. He needs a wise swimming technician to refine his stroke. IMHO he would do well to flatten his fly stroke out to translate his efforts into more forward motion. His under waters have been transformed over the last 2 years, he now needs to do the same with his over water stroke. We don’t know what his arrangements look like for the rest of the SC season, but I hope that he finds a stroke guru. Just training on his own will send him backwards. I was hoping to promote him back up to Baron at year end. At this rate he might have to go down another notch to… Read more »

weirdo
Reply to  Billabong
7 years ago

IMO his freestyle technique wise is a better stroke than his fly. He can be elite doing free, as much as fly…..obviously since he got a silver medal in the 2free. It will be interesting to see what he does. Two big coach/swimmer relationship splits today!

Irish Ringer
Reply to  Billabong
7 years ago

I think he has great potential to drop time in all his events. His turns are amazing and he has a good combination of speed and endurance. Something was a little off in Rio on the endurance and it’s good that he’s looking to make a change. The documentary about him made the point that his training facilities aren’t that great so hopefully he goes to a world class facility and makes a good run to 2020.

I think he’s capable of the following LCM:

100 Fly 50.2
200 Fly 1:52.0
100 Free 47.5
200 Free 1:43.8
200 IM 1:55.0

Mission Bay Alum
Reply to  Irish Ringer
7 years ago

I’d agree except add that he should be able to break both fly WRs.

Braindead
Reply to  Irish Ringer
7 years ago

I’ll agree to the point that LeClos is an undeniable talent but…

1:52.0 after not breaking 1:53 for four years?
1:43.8?? This after a coaching change? I think he can break 1:45 and be a long term contender if he’s able to split the race more evenly but as we have seen over the last 4 years, breaking 1:45 is a monumental task even for today’s freestyle specialists so for LeClos to get down into the 1:43 range would take serious focus on just that race (which may be in detriment to his other events).

Lastly, I think the 200 IM prediction is far too optimistic. LeClos has a weak breastroke and only 3 people ever have gone 1:55… Read more »

Marley09
7 years ago

I feel badly for Hill. Tough day having any swimmer leave after 16 yrs especially with the success the two had together. We’ll never know the real reasons. After getting fired by the Cincinnati Reds, Sparky Anderson said that after a while people just get tired of looking at you.

J.C.
7 years ago

I had wondered if he would part ways with his coach after that 200 fly, but I still wasn’t sure just because he has been with Hill and the club for 16 years. Unless he finds an arrangement that fits soon or has something already going on that he’s keeping under wraps for the time being, training by himself means not having a coach for the rest of the wc, the Short course Worlds in December, and who knows how much of 2017. Seems unusual, and potentially risky but hopefully it pays off and works out well for him.

Ema
7 years ago

Nothing to talk about Conger and Baker?

Uberfan
Reply to  Ema
7 years ago

Why would we?

Ema
Reply to  Uberfan
7 years ago

Some TUE, some Adderall, some predisone, some predisolone…

G.I.N.A
Reply to  Ema
7 years ago

Elite Sport is the new Dr House x Chicago ER .

Sergey v
Reply to  Ema
7 years ago

Conger and Baker are ‘muricans. They don’t do doping. Only Russians do.

Attila the Hunt
Reply to  Sergey v
7 years ago

Correct.

Other countries are doping, but what we do is TUE.

Technically, it’s not doping.

Q-tip
Reply to  Sergey v
7 years ago

*only russians have been exposed for state sponsored doping. How about we get some russian atheletes TUE’s guarantee you its atleast gonna be the same. Seen you posting in other articles and youre trying to make what happened in russia seem ok because everyone is doing it but thats not a good argument. Cheaters are cheaters, just cause everyone is doing it doesnt make it somehow more acceptable. I dont think most people here really believed that all u.s. athletes are clean, the point was that the government wasnt actively involved in covering it up. I dont think you can really argue that the United states has a larger doping problem than russia does.Yes the U.S. and pretty much every… Read more »

Jay
Reply to  Ema
7 years ago

We’re not talking about them because they were using medicine for legitimate medical reasons through approved channels. They weren’t using heart medication for non-existent heart problems…

coacherik
7 years ago

You know he could move himself and his parents to Tempe, should their health improve.. Might as well train under the coach and guy you couldn’t help but stare at as he swam away from you in Rio..

J.C.
Reply to  coacherik
7 years ago

When or if he finds a new coach, maybe that one will break him of the looking around habit.

SwimmerFoxJet
Reply to  J.C.
7 years ago

+J.C What if it’s BOB BOWMAN =0

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  SwimmerFoxJet
7 years ago

Bob would say to Leclos at the first session : ” u dont have the need for looking around anymore , M. Phelps isn’t around “

bookworm
Reply to  coacherik
7 years ago

Health insurance might be an issue unfortunately….

Uberfan
7 years ago

“That’s a bold movie Cotton

Woetie
7 years ago

And that was the last thing we heard from Le Clos

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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