Chad le Clos Dealing With Knee Injury, Hoping to Return by ISL Final
During the first couple meets of the International Swimming League (ISL) playoffs, Energy Standard has been missing one of its stars. South Africa’s Chad le Clos, the gold medalist in the men’s 200 butterfly at the 2012 Olympics and now a 29-year-old grizzled veteran, pulled out of the last two FINA World Cup meets in October with a knee injury that has continued to bother him. According to Energy Standard head coach Tom Rushton, le Clos’ injury prevents him from pushing off the wall and kicking hard.
Rushton said that there is no timetable for le Clos’ return to competition. Energy Standard will compete in its final playoff match next Thursday and Friday (November 25-26), and the team is a virtual lock to advance to the ISL final, scheduled for December 3-4. “We are taking it one step at a time with him,” Rushton said. The coach admitted that he hopes to have le Clos available for the final, but “we’ll see.”
