Olympic champion Le Clos to open Fina/Arena Swimming World Cup leg in Dubai
At this year’s Olympic Games, Chad Le Clos became known as the man who took away Michael Phelps’ 200m butterfly title. Now, he is one of the famous participants in Fina/Arena Swimming World Cup. This is only the first out of the eight stages of the competition which will take place in Dubai from October 2 to 3.
In London, Le Clos defeated Phelps with five seconds advantage and robbed the American of his chance to win a third title in his favourite discipline. In that way he managed to spoil Phelps’ retirement party who won an impressive 22 medals at the London Olympics.
Dubai is an important city for swimmer. This is the place where he started climbing the ladder of success by winning 6 titles in 6 events at the 2011 World Cup leg. Also, in the 2010 short course World Cup in Dubai, the swimmer won the gold at 200m butterfly.
Organizers from Dubai’s Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Sports Complex have high hopes for the athlete’s performance in Dubai.
The Dubai Sports Council welcomed Chad Le Clos’s return in Dubai. Fans love him and he serves as a great example for the city’s young swimmers.
The Word Cup in Dubai gives UAE swimmers the unique chance to compete against athletes from all over the world, including some of the best and most inspiring names in that sport.
Le Clos won’t be the only star in the competition, however. Australian Kyle Richardson, who defeated Le Clos in 100m freestyle in Tokyo in 2011, will also try out in the race for the gold. Another big name is Jason Dunford from Kenya. Last year he won three titles and a bronze medal in Dubai.
Cameron van der Burgh, who is also from South Africa, will too participate in the competition. At the Olympics, Burgh won a gold medal and broke the world record in the 100m breaststroke discipline (58.46). Another record holder, Therese Alshammar is another record holder who will take part in the race. The Swede recently broke the 50m butterfly record (25.07). A curious fact about the athlete is that he had won the World Cup four times.
After the leg in Dubai, the annual swimming competition will continue in Doha, Stockholm, Moscow, Berlin, Tokyo and Singapore. The total number of the events in the World Cup race is more than 36. The competition will start in 9am and will continue to about 6pm. Tickets will be sold at the entrance.
