Chad and Michael Phelps

The absence of Phelps and Lochte could make room for the next great swimming superstar. The question is, who will it be?

South African Chad le Clos would be a good bet. Four years is a long time, and anything could happen by 2016, but I believe that le Clos has the ability to be male swimming star of the 2016 Olympic Games.

At the 2012 Olympic Games, le Clos defeated Phelps in the 200-meter butterfly by five-hundredths of a second. He finished second to Phelps in the 100-meter butterfly, and he also competed in the 400-meter individual medley, finishing fifth. In addition, Le Clos finished seventh in the semifinal of the 200-meter individual medley before he elected to withdraw from the event in order to focus on the 100 butterfly.

And he did it all at 20 years old while swimming against two of the best swimmers in history in Phelps and Lochte, each of whom was much more experienced than le Clos.

At the 2012 Olympic Games, Phelps was 27 years old and Lochte turned 28, which gave the American swimmers more time to gain experience and grow into their adult bodies. In addition, Phelps was competing in his fourth Olympic Games while Lochte was competing in his third.

Compare le Clos’ accomplishments as a 20-year-old to Lochte’s accomplishments as a 20-year-old, and you’ll find that Lochte finished the 2004 Olympic Games with a medal count identical to le Clos’. (Lochte left Athens with a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay and a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley.)

Granted, le Clos hasn’t achieved anywhere near the level that Phelps had reached by the time he turned 20, but le Clos doesn’t have to win six gold medals in order to be the male swimming star of the 2016 Olympic Games. In fact, it’s not likely that anyone will come along anytime soon who will achieve at the same level as Phelps, and it’s unfair to expect le Clos to do so — especially since le Clos is never likely to be a part of relay teams that win medals the same way the American teams did at the 2004 and 2008 Games.

If le Clos can arrive in Rio de Janeiro in peak condition, he could very well contend for gold medals in the same four events he swam in London. That in itself would be an impressive feat, and at this point in time, I don’t see any other male swimmers leaving the 2016 Games with the same type of individual medal haul.
The 2016 Olympic Games are a long way away, but I’ll make a strong prediction now: Le Clos will win the most individual swimming medals of any male at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

He could have to contend with Lochte, who says he will continue to train for the 2016 Games, but I don’t think Lochte can improve the way le Clos can.

Sandra Johnson was a competitive swimmer for more than 15 years before she began coaching. She is a longtime Olympic fan, and while working for the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, Colo., she had the opportunity to immerse herself in the Olympic Movement. Follow her on Twitter: @SandraJohnson46.

Source: Sports.yahoo.com