Le Clos‚ celebrating his 24th birthday‚ had to work hard to claim victory in a tight tussle that brought the vocal crowd of a few hundred at King’s Park pool to their feet.
Later in the night‚ he burned his rivals in the 200m butterfly to win in 1min 55.61sec‚ the fourth-fastest time in the world.
He and Christopher Reid‚ who won the 100m backstroke title‚ were the only two swimmers on the third day of the gala to achieve qualifying times for the Rio Games in August.
No female swimmers have made it yet‚ but diver Julia Vincent booked her ticket to Brazil when she beat friends Micaela Bouter and Nicole Gillis to the 3m springboard crown.
“I’m very happy‚ but I’m sorry I won’t be able to experience it with them [Bouter and Gillis]‚” said Vincent.
Le Clos pushed through on the final lap of the 200m freestyle final to take the title in 1:47.75 and see off defending champion Myles Brown (1:48.29)‚ Egyptian Marwan El Kamash (1:48.66) and Calvyn Justus (1:49.68).
They train together with coach Graham Hill in nearby Pinetown.
Le Clos‚ Brown‚ Justus and US-based Sebastien Rousseau‚ who scratched from the final‚ will team up on the final night of the gala on Saturday to try qualify the 4x200m freestyle relay team for Rio.
US-based Dylan Bosch‚ a member of this relay team two years‚ ago‚ was fifth in 1:50.14‚ and he will be the travelling reserve if the team can qualify.
“It was a bit slow‚” admitted Le Clos. “They were all waiting for me to go‚ but I told them I wasn’t going to go out.
“We need to swim better‚ individually. I’ve always said nationals are difficult because of the pressure‚ it’s a different atmosphere.
“When I go to a world champs I would have swum that 200m free differently‚ at Olympics I would have swum that differently.
“I think on Saturday we can all be a second quicker because we’ve made the team now‚ less pressure.”
But Le Clos was more excited about the prospects of a men’s 4x100m medley relay following the sudden rise of Rise in the backstroke‚ South Africa’s missing link until now.
“We’ve been waiting for a backstroker for years and he’s here. So long as he keeps his head right‚ I believe we have a chance.”
But Reid got it wrong on Tuesday night.
He delivered his slowest effort after a disastrous start that saw him sink almost like a depth charge and hit the bottom of the pool.
“I overarched my back and I went [in] to steep‚” explained Reid.
By the time he came up he was well behind the leaders‚ but he was in front at the turn and by the end his nearest competitor was at his feet.
It was a phenomenal recovery by Reid who touched in 54.02‚ well short of the 53.12 SA record he set the day before.
It was still a qualifying mark‚ although that was little consolation for Reid.
“If I had to do that time in a semifinal or a final at the Olympics I’d be slaughtered‚” said the University of Alabama student.
He said he had been approached two years ago by SA coaches saying they were looking for a backstroker capable of 53.50 for the medley relay.
He’s delivered.
– TMG Digital
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