South Africa swimmer Chad le Clos has insisted that he has complete respect for his opponents after he was seen turning his head during the 200m butterfly final at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this evening.

The 22-year-old soared to the wall in the final 50m to secure a gold medal in 1:55.07 minutes, which is a new Games record.

After collecting his honour, Le Clos was asked by reporters if he was signalling to his competitors that he was in front during the race, to which the South African replied: "Nah, I don't mean to disrespect anyone. Whoever I'm racing I have a lot of respect for. I always do that, it's not such a good thing. I should stop that."

Australia's Grant Irvine nabbed silver, while Le Clos's teammate Sebastien Rousseau earned a spot on the podium with a bronze medal.