“Ndibizeni ngokuba ndinguMichael Phelps kube kanye!”…itshilo
indadi ephum’izandla yelizwe loMzantsi Afrika – uChad le Clos. Le ndadi ibhale
iincwadi zembali ngokutsha namhlanje kwiCommonwealth Games ngokuthi ithathe
imbasa yegolide ityeli lesithathu emva kokuba ibethe indadi yase-Australia
kumgama ongamakhulu amabini (200 meters butterfly). ULe Clos uphumelele emva
kokuqubha ixesha eliyimizuzwana engamashumi amahlanu anesine (54 seconds), ngalo
ndlela ube yindoda yokuqala ephumelele igolide amatyeli elandelelana
kwiCommonwealth Games.

“Bendifuna ukuphumelela iimbasa izihlandlo ezithathu.
Akukho mntu owakhe wayenza lo nto – ningandibiza ke ngokuba ndinguMichael
Phelps weCommonwealth. Le mpumelelo ithetha lukhulu kakhulu kum. Yimbali le eyakuhlala
ihleli,” utshilo uLe Clos.

Le ndedeba yakwaLe Clos yaqala ukugqugqisa kwicandelo
lokuqubha kwihlabathi ngo-2012 kwisixeko esikhulu saseLondon, eNgelinane,
ngethuba lemidlalo ye-Olimpiki. Ukusukela ngoko zange uChad le Clos aphinde abuye
ngamva.

Njengokuba iimbasa zeGolide zoMzantsi Afrika zine
kwiCommonwealth ukuzothi ga ngoku – zimbini ezize noLe Clos eyedwa. Izolo
(ngoLwesihlanu) emva kokuphumelela i-50m uChad uthe: “Ndiza kuzijula kwaye
kufuneka ndiqinisekise ukuba umsebenzi ndiya wenza. Isantya endihambe ngaso
sesona sakhe saphezulu kwaye ndiqondile ukuba umsebenzi ndiwugqibile. Ngomso
kuza kwaziwana. Ndifuna ukwenza izinto zenzeke, masibone ngomso.”

Njengokuba iChad le Clos ezenzele imbali kwilizwe
lase-Australia, ngoku kufuneka alinde kufike omnye umnyhadala weCommonwealth
Games ukuze afumane ithuba lokuphumelela iindebe ezintandathu ezathathwa
nguMick Gault noPhilip Adams. NgeCawe
kulindeleke uLe Clos abuyele enkomeni kwakhona. Iziphathamandla zeSascoc
zayalela abathathinxaxheba kwiCommonwealth Games ukuba babuye neembasa zegolide
ezilishumi elinesihlanu ubuncinane kulo nyaka.