article_snippet: (CNN)It was always going to take an extraordinary performance from a very talented swimmer to beat Michael Phelps at his favorite event in an Olympic final.
article_snippet: When the South African chased down Michael Phelps in the final 50 meters of the race to snatch a dramatic fingertip victory by 0.05 seconds he created one of the defining moments of the 2012 London Olympics.
article_snippet: So perhaps it's not surprising that lining up alongside his hero in an Olympic final eight years later took on a slightly surreal air.
article_snippet: so when I raced against Michael Phelps in the final it was actually a crazy feeling,le Clos le Clos tells CNN's Human to Hero series.
article_snippet: When I touched at 150 (meters) I think I was 1.5 meters behind Michael Phelps.
article_snippet: The mind-altering moment quickly morphed into a life-changing experience for the then 20-year-old who edged out Michael Phelps in the final stroke.
article_snippet: Obviously, to represent your country is a huge honor but to beat Michael Phelps at the Olympics was amazing," Michael Phelps says.
article_snippet: A 100m and 200m double at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona was followed by gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland last August.
article_snippet: The Olympic gold will always be there and The Olympic gold will be the most outstanding moment of my life, but to win the 2014 Swimmer of the Year award was up there.
article_snippet: Not many people have won the Ballon d'Or of swimming, so it was a very special moment for the 2014 Swimmer of the Year award.
article_snippet: the 2014 Swimmer of the Year award concedes that it will be "very, very difficult" to get anywhere near Phelps' record haul of 18 Olympic gold medals (and
article_snippet: the 2014 Swimmer of the Year award may get the chance to race the 2014 Swimmer of the Year award one more time.
highlights_snippet: South African swimmer stunned Michael Phelps at 2012 London Olympics .
  
highlights_snippet: The 22-year-old is hoping to square up to Michael Phelps again at Rio in 2016 .