A day after Commonwealth Games high, South African swimmer Chad le Clos loses home in fatal fire

South Africa’s Chad le Clos said on Aug 4 that his Cape Town apartment was destroyed in a fire that also killed one of his neighbours just one day after the swimmer became the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history.

The 34-year-old won his 21st Commonwealth Games medal when South Africa took bronze in the men’s 4x100 metres medley relay in Glasgow last week, moving past Australian Emma McKeon at the top of the all-time standings.

However, the milestone was overshadowed when a fire ripped through his apartment block in the Sea Point suburb of Cape Town.

“It has taken me awhile to process this heartbreaking tragedy,” le Clos posted on Instagram.

“On the evening of July 30, amid breaking the all-time Commonwealth record, a fire started in my apartment block, which quickly spread to my home. Sadly, my home, where I’ve lived for more than a decade, burned down and there is nothing left to salvage.”

Le Clos also paid tribute to a neighbour who died in the blaze and expressed condolences to the victim’s family and friends.

He said the Chad le Clos Foundation had launched a fund-raising campaign to support residents affected by the fire.

The swimmer’s relay bronze was his third medal of the 2026 Games, following a silver in the mixed 4x100m medley relay and bronze in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

His Commonwealth tally now stands at seven gold, five silver and nine bronze medals across five Games, dating back to his debut in Delhi in 2010.

Le Clos made his breakthrough at the 2012 London Olympics, where he beat American Michael Phelps to win gold in the 200m butterfly. He has won four Olympic medals and four world titles in his career. REUTERS