Ahead of his much-anticipated clash with the celebrated Michael Phelps at the Olympics Aquatics Stadium in Barra da Tijuca, South African Chad Le Clos has announced that he's the best out there.
Le Clos created ripples in 200m butterfly London Olympics snatching a fifth gold from the American superstar who later ended his career only to return for Rio in what will be a second swansong for the 31-year-old.
"Mentally, I believe I'm the strongest athlete out there. Not a lot can break me," the 24-year-old told PTI in an email interview, ahead of his much-hyped 200m butterfly duel against Phelps.
"It will be a lot different to how it was in London. I feel like I almost have a target on my back. Coming into the Olympic Games in London, I was an underdog. I wasn't really given a shot. So it was almost like I had no pressure coming into the event.
"What changes now is that there's a lot of media hype around me. But I think I've learned to deal with all sorts of pressures. I've prepared myself in ways that no one else has." Le Clos' rivalry with his one-time idol has taken the sport to a new height and the latest swimming sensation said he's shifting into sixth gear to finish hard into the wall (touchpad).
"You have to go through the gears. A car has five gears, but you almost have to push into 6th gear and get that final burst of speed. In practice and in butterfly especially, I'm always finishing with my head down and into the wall," he said.
"Obviously at the Olympic Games in 2012 there were some very tight races, especially the famous one against Michael Phelps. What I've been working for this year is tweaking the small things. It's been all about sharpening my tools and getting ready for the biggest week of my life.
"We've mastered the details of doing the long mileage and putting in the hard yards. Now, it's all about fine-tuning my starts, fine-tuning my turns, and making sure that I'm finishing right on a full stroke," he added.
