I’ve seen a horse fly. I’ve seen a dragon fly. I’ve seen a house fly. But I’ve never seen an elephant fly.
So go the lyrics from Disney favourite Dumbo.
However, in the pool we have most definitely seen butterfly!
From the dashing sprinters through to the gruelling 200m. The superhuman effort required through the final metres to maintain position in the water, stretching every sinew. The pain and pressure of feeling there is a piano on your back.
Arena’s very own Chad le Clos is the current world champion in both long and short-course over 100m and 200m.
It was at the Olympics in London in 2012 that the then 20-year-old seared himself on to the world’s consciousness by beating the 22-time Olympic medallist Michael Phelps in the American’s final 200m butterfly.
Chad edged his idol out by 0.05 seconds, timing his finish to perfection sparking unbridled celebrations from his father Bert as well as tears on the podium.
The pair may well meet again in Rio de Janeiro following Phelps’ return to the pool and Chad admits he was inspired by his rival to swim butterfly as a youngster.
“Every stroke has its charm. Butterfly for me feels like it’s the hardest race. It almost feels like the 400m hurdles of the track, that kind of race. The…
