Rio 2016: Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos may claim it isn't personal but it is - the death stare proves it

It was a year ago that the two, who used to be mates (they even planned a shark cage diving trip together back in 2013), fell out when the trash talking started

Matt Gatward
Rio de Janeiro
Tuesday 09 August 2016 23:33 BST
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Michael Phelps' facial expressions made headlines this week
Michael Phelps' facial expressions made headlines this week

Michael Phelps’ death stare has become a thing.

And it has become a thing because he was practising it – to perfection – before his 200m butterfly semi-final on Monday night while the South African swimmer Chad le Clos was trying to get under his skin by shadowboxing in his eye-line.

Phelps finished ahead of Le Clos, who looked up to his right on several occasions while swimming to see where his rival was, but both finished behind the Hungarian Tamas Kenderesi.

Rio 2016: Yesterday's Highlights

The duo will be reunited in Tuesday night’s final and it promises to be a cracking race, such is the depth to the backstory. The pair have history with Le Clos taking Phelps’s 200m butterfly title in London four years ago.

The American, who was due to retire after 2012, had had the title for a decade and was in no mood to give it up.

Many say that this solitary prize was the reason the swimmer, who has more Olympic medals than any other athlete with 23, returned to action. He won’t admit it.

He doesn’t want it to become personal. But it is. It was a year ago that the two, who used to be mates (they even planned a shark cage diving trip together back in 2013), fell out when the trash talking started.

Phelps had been questioning some of the times recorded in his events and after Le Clos won the 100m fly at the 2015 World Championships in Russia – Phelps could not play because he was barred following a drink driving charge – the South African bit back.

“Michael Phelps has been talking about how slow the butterfly events have been recently,” he said.

“I just did a time he hasn’t done in four years. So, he can keep quiet now.” Phelps bit back. “Chad said I was a hero and then he was calling me out.”

Now there are death stares. But on Tuesday night there can only be one winner.

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