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Bert: Le Clos' don't cry when we lose

Rio de Janeiro - It was a gutting night for Chad le Clos as he lost his Olympic title in the 200m butterfly to his arch-rival Michael Phelps. 

To make matters worse, Le Clos finished outside the medals in the event that he was widely expected to medal in - if not win

Usually the most media-friendly of athletes, Le Clos walked straight past the group of South African journalists gathered after his race, unable to face them. 

This had been his moment; a race he had been looking forward to for four years. It presented an opportunity for Le Clos to get another big one over Phelps and to make a massive statement in his own mission to become one of the greats of the sport. 

Instead, Phelps bagged his 20th Olympic gold medal. 

While Chad was obviously gutted, his father Bert held his head high. 

"The Le Clos' only cry when we win. We don't cry when we lose and that's the bottom line," Bert told Sport24 after the race at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

"There are no excuses.

"He went 1.52 (1.52.96) in London and 1.54 (1.54.06) here. No excuses. It is what it is."

Bert was adamant that Chad would not stay down for long.

"Of course he'll be back. He's a champion. And he's South African. He'll bounce back."

Le Clos will return to the pool on Thursday for the heats of the 100m butterfly, an event that Phelps will be swimming as well...

Lloyd Burnard is Sport24's correspondent in Rio de Janeiro for the duration of the 2016 Olympics ...

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