Olympic swimmer Chad le Clos claims that a day after he became the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history, a fire destroyed his South African home.
Le Clos said in an Instagram post that while he was at the games in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 30, a fire destroyed numerous apartments in the building, including his own in Cape Town.
The day before the fire, the 34-year-old South African placed third in the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay, setting a record for his 21st Commonwealth Games medal.
Le Clos said late on Tuesday, ‘On the evening of 30 July, amid setting the all-time Commonwealth record, a fire occurred in my flat block, which swiftly spread to my home’. “Unfortunately, my house, where I’ve lived for over ten years, burnt down, leaving nothing to salvage.”
In the seaside district of Sea Point, he expressed his sympathies for the elderly man who perished in the apartment tower fire. He claimed that the man had lived next door to him for a long time.
According to Le Clos, his charity will collect funds to assist neighbours in rebuilding their houses.
The athlete has won 16 world titles and four Olympic medals, including the gold in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2012 London Olympics.
His fifth Commonwealth Games was held in Glasgow, and he has stated that he intends to compete in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
A day after the swimmer became the most decorated athlete in the history of the Commonwealth Games, Chad le Clos of South Africa reported on Tuesday that his Cape Town flat was destroyed in a fire that also killed one of his neighbours.
When South Africa earned bronze in the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay in Glasgow last week, surpassing Australian Emma McKeon at the top of the all-time standings, the 34-year-old claimed his 21st Commonwealth Games medal.
But the achievement was eclipsed when a fire tore through his apartment complex in Cape Town’s Sea Point area.
Le Clos posted on Instagram, “It has taken me a while to process this heartbreaking tragedy.” “As the all-time Commonwealth record was being broken on the evening of 30 July, a fire broke out in my flat building and swiftly spread to my house. Sadly, my house, where I’ve resided for almost ten years, caught fire, leaving little to rescue.
Le Clos also sent condolences to the victim’s family and friends and honoured a neighbour who perished in the fire.
He noted that in order to help the residents impacted by the fire, the Chad le Clos Foundation had started a fundraising effort.
After winning silver in the mixed 4x100m medley and bronze in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, the South African’s relay bronze was his third medal of the year.
Since making his debut in Delhi in 2010, he has won seven gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals at five Games for the Commonwealth.
Separately, reports of foreign athletes who failed to return home after competing in the Commonwealth Games are being looked into by Scottish police. These athletes have been identified in the media as boxers from Pakistan and Uganda.
A representative for Police Scotland stated on Tuesday that the agency has received reports of multiple athletes who are missing. “Early engagement with the Home Office is taking place, and enquiries are ongoing to assess the circumstances.”
Before the squad’s planned return home on Tuesday, four members of Uganda’s six-person boxing team went missing, according to NBS Sport, and one of them informed the broadcaster that they intended to apply for asylum.
One of the boxers from Pakistan also did to show up for a flight home on Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Today website.
Following the Commonwealth Games, which have been held in Australia or the UK since Glasgow 2014, there have been numerous reports of athletes going missing.
A month after the Gold Coast Games in Australia in 2018, authorities were still looking for 50 athletes and officials who had gone missing, while another 190 had requested refuge.