Chad le Clos only landed at Rhein-Main Airport on Monday, this Friday the Olympic swimming champion will jump into the pool at the World Cup in Berlin for the first time for his new club, SG Frankfurt.
"It's crazy how fast everything is going right now," said the 30-year-old during a conversation at the club's office on Wednesday.
Originally, the popular newcomer had planned to come to Hessen a little earlier.
But visa problems had prevented this, the post in his home country South Africa was rather slow.
For le Clos, the competitions in the German capital are the first stop on his trip to Paris. There, at the 2024 Olympic Games, “I will be the best version of myself ever,” announces the gold medalist from London.
"I can't predict what that's enough for, but I firmly believe in it." His career is not over, as some might think;
instead, he opens a new chapter.
Dirk Lange will play a leading role in it.
The 59-year-old, who has been head coach in Frankfurt since last year, has been taking care of le Clos for a month.
At his third Olympic participation in 2021 in Tokyo, the freestyle and butterfly specialist went empty-handed for the first time.
"Dirk has a very similar way of thinking as I do," explains the athlete.
"He's a winning coach." When the two talked about a possible cooperation, "it was like I was talking to myself".
Lange, who was the head coach of the South African swimmers from 2005 to 2008, coached Cameron van der Burgh to international titles and medals for many years.
Before the games in London, where his South African compatriot won gold in the 100m breaststroke, le Clos also completed a few sessions with the former national coach at a training camp in Italy.
"We always kept in touch," says the athlete.
Longing for a permanent training location
He is hoping for something else from the move that he has been missing more and more recently: peace and continuity, a stable sporting home where he is integrated into an ambitious team and where the personal trainer directs the team at the poolside.
In his homeland, where he is revered as one of the greatest sports heroes and where every one of his successes inspires enthusiasm, he says “life is easy, but life as an athlete is difficult”.
Before the start of the corona pandemic, le Clos had joined a team based in Turkey.
But when the Covid pathogen began to spread worldwide, he had to leave the country abruptly.
During the preparations for the games in Japan, including in South Africa, he was unable to train for half a year;
Otherwise, the multiple world record holder and four-time long track world champion traveled the world to find opportunities to practice.
The fact that he only got fifth place in the 200m butterfly as the best result in Tokyo had nothing to do with that.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I don't make excuses." The games were strange.
“I was out of shape mentally, physically and emotionally”;
He wasn't as disappointed afterwards as he was in 2016, when he expected a win and only finished second twice.
"Sometimes things just happen and you can't control them." You have to accept that.
And sometimes you're stuck in a hole and need people to help you out.
That was the case in the Olympic year.
support from a psychologist
An "incident" that le Clos does not want to talk about plunged him into a crisis in January 2021.
"It was a dramatic experience that I only talk about with my family and a few other people." The situation was "out of my control" and he never really processed it.
As a burden, he took her to the Olympics.
"Unfortunately, my well-being depends on athletic success," says le Clos.
Since these were absent, he felt increasingly alone and empty.
"Old Chad" has only been back since this year.
A psychologist had put him back on the right track.
His greatest success is also his burden.
In 2012, the then 20-year-old caused a sensation when he snatched the gold medal from American favorite Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly.
"I wasn't prepared" for the hype he triggered in South Africa.
From one day to the next he was an acclaimed superstar.
In the years that followed, it was important to defend this role and repeatedly face comparisons with Phelps.
The American became the most successful swimmer on the long course, and le Clos was no longer able to break his dominance as he did in London.
But on the 25-meter track, the South African accumulated success after success.
In the next three years, Le Clos wants to snatch the title record on the short course from American Ryan Lochte.
He was just a handful of medals away from surpassing him.
Le Clos wants to take the next step in this direction at the World Cup in Melbourne in mid-December.
Until then, after Berlin, there are still the World Cups in Canada and the USA.
As long as the visa works out in time.
"I hope," says le Clos, "I'll get mail in the next few days."