Le Clos Shadowboxes Phelps, Reminds Him of London 2012

In this piece, Charles Hartley imagines he’s Chad le Clos. He’s not Chad le Clos, but whereas most of planet swim has been focused on Phelps’ expression, Charles imagines what’s going through Le Clos’ mind.

Look at me, Michael Phelps. I’m right in front of you here in the waiting room before the next 2016 Olympic race, the semi-finals of the 200 meter butterfly.

Check out my shadowboxing, pumping my arms the way Muhammed Ali used to before his championship boxing matches. I’m pretending to be boxing you, Michael, sort of like the way we box when we race in the pool for Olympic medals. Think South Africa, Michael. That’s where I’m from. Think South Africa.

You can stare straight ahead and towards the wall with your hood on pretending not to notice me.

But you do, Michael. How could you not?

Lookie here: I’m the guy walking around all juiced up, right in your direct line of sight no more than eight feet away. I am getting inside your head, aren’t I, Magical Michael?

See my sit down right in front of you shaking my right arm. I’m sitting right in front of you because I want you to see me. I want me to be on your mind.

I want to you remember your worst swimming nightmare, losing to me in the 2012 London Olympics in the 200 meter butterfly. It was your most dominant event, Michael, and you got dominated – by me.

Being dominated got you down, didn’t’ it, Michael?

It was my greatest moment in life. It has to be one of your worst. I’m sure you remember. We all remember our low points in life. You had not lost that race in what seemed liked 100 years until you weakened at the end. You were weak. The fact is I proved myself to be tougher and out-touched you. My pain tolerance and determination and competitiveness overshadowed yours, you, the almighty.

So here we are again. You and me, in the waiting room. There you are, trying not to look at me but I can tell out of the corner of your eye you are. How could a superstar swimmer like you not notice when he’s being taunted by the same guy who beat him in the 200 meter butterfly in the London Olympics four years ago?

It’s just not possible.

Everybody knows you notice me whether you like to admit it or not. Chad Le Clos beat Phelps. Remember? He sent shockwaves throughout the swimming world.

Hey, Michael, did you catch me earlier tonight shock the world by getting the Silver Medal in the 200 meter freestyle? No one expected that. And I did it from Lane 1. Who does that? I thought nobody wins Silver Medals from Lane 1.

I shot ahead and out-strategized the others. Freestyle isn’t even my stroke and yet I’ve proven to be great at that also.

Freestyle is just an amusement for me. But, as you know, butterfly is my baby. It happens to be yours, too, as we all know. We share the same baby. You have your real baby, Boomer, and your other baby, butterfly. I have one baby, butterfly. It for me my real baby.

Tonight in the semi-finals I’m going to take it easy so I’m ready for you tomorrow night (Tuesday) to haunt you in the finals of this 200 meter butterfly event. You and I know that you have been thinking about me for four years.

How many nights of sleep have you lost thinking about me, Chad Le Clos, the guy who outswam you in London and embarrassed you?

Face it, Michael, to you I am a walking nightmare. Look at me. I’m right in front of you, shadowboxing. Sink seeing the sight of your worst memory.

After our semi-final race tonight, be sure to check your Instagram account. I’ll be sending you a video of me screaming and splashing the water after I beat you in London. Be sure to watch it. Maybe you watch it every day to motivate yourself and it now just makes you sick to see. No matter how painful it is for you, I would still watch it.

If a guy beat me in the 200 meter fly in London and I was supposedly the best in the world at that event, I would watch it. You might learn something.

When you lose, you remember. Remember losing to me, Michael? How did it feel? Really, how far down did it send you into the abyss?

It was great for me, Michael. It changed my life. I became an international swimming sensation. Endorsements, more money, fame – it’s been awesome.

But how bad was it for you?

This Olympic article is written by and courtesy of Charles Hartley.