South Africa's swimming sensation Chad le Clos says he is proud and honoured to have become the best swimmer in the world, with his sights now set on maintaining those high standards.
The 22-year-old was greeted in Durban on Tuesday by a few hundred fans in the arrivals hall at the King Shaka International Airport following his return from the Fina World Short-Course Championship in Doha last week where he won a record four gold medals.
"I believe now that I've cemented my spot as the best swimmer in the world and I can't describe how proud that makes me," Le Clos said.
"I just want to keep working hard and hopefully just inspire more youngsters to keep swimming and encourage South Africans to become a winning nation."
The London 2012 Olympic gold medallist, who was named International Swimming Federation (Fina) Swimmer of the Year last week, was greeted by loud chants of "Chad, Chad, Chad" upon his arrival in South Africa.
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