On 12th August, 2016 Joseph Schooling made history by becoming the first ever Singaporean to win the coveted Olympic Gold Medal in the 100-meter butterfly, beating his idol Michael Phelps. The entire Singaporean population as well as their President, Mr. Tony Tan, rejoiced as Schooling went up to the podium to accept his gold medal and stand along with Swimming Legends such as Michael Phelps, Laszlo Czeh and Chad Le Chlos.
As a child, Schooling heard stories of his granduncle, Lloyd Valberg, who was the first Singaporean Olympian at the 1948 London Games. Thats when young Schooling looked up to his father and expressed his desire to compete at the Olympics. Joseph Schooling's story is one of determination and hard-work and everyone needs to know about it. Let me guide you through how exactly this young lad went from being a fan of Michael Phelps, to beating him at his very own game!
Phelps and Schooling were no strangers to each other and Schooling was fortunate to meet his idol when he was only 13 years old. Phelps was in Singapore for a training camp prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Coincidentally, Schooling's swimming training used to take place in that very club and that is where both of them first met. While Michael Phelps was busy creating new records at the Beijing Olympics, Schooling had only one thought in his mind; to become an Olympic champion and make his country proud!
He wanted to be trained by one of the best swimmers but realized that he might have to leave Singapore if he wanted to make his dreams a reality. He got in touch with former Spanish bronze medalist, Sergio Lopez, who was more than willingly to help train Schooling. For the training to take place, Schooling had to move to Florida. Over the years Schooling started making a name for himself by winning two gold medals at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.
The problem arised when Schooling finished his high school in 2013 and had to enlist in Singapore's mandatory N.S (National Service) program. At that time, Schooling had received a scholarship from the University of Texas, Austin, to join their swimming program, then under the supervision of two time American Olympics Men head coach, Mr. Eddie Reese. The Singaporean Sports Institute requested that the National Service be deferred to after the 2016 Olympics. The ministry agreed and allowed Schooling to continue his training for the Olympics.
Joseph Schooling's breakthrough finally came in 2014 where he won his and Singapore's first ever Gold Medal in the men's 100-metre butterfly. He clocked in at 51.76 seconds, setting a new record at the asian games which no one was able to beat since 1982!
He became the first Singaporean swimmer to win a medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow. Taking inspiration from his success at the Asian and Commonwealth games, Schooling won 9 gold medals at the 2015 South East Asian Games held in Singapore and broke 9 records at the same time. Schooling was also very successful at the 2015 world aquatic championships, where he broke the record for the 50 m and 100 m butterfly events and also won Singapore's first medal at this event.
Days passed and Schooling found himself competing at the 2016 Olympics along side his idol Michael Phelps, who he had met almost 8 years ago. Everyone had their eyes set on Michael Phelps to win his 23rd gold medal in the 100-metre butterfly finals. But to their dismay and to Singapore's joy, it was the underdog Schooling who beat Phelps and the other swimmers to win the gold medal for his country. Schooling's time of 50.39 seconds set a new world record, beating Michael Phelp's previous record of 50.58 seconds which he had set during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After winning the gold medal he was congratulated by Phelps who was proud of the young lad. Schooling declared Phelps as his main source of inspiration and felt humbled that he got the opportunity to share the stage with one of the greats.
Schooling's father had organized a viewing party at his house in Singapore and was overjoyed to see his son finally win an Olympic Gold Medal. To mark the joyous occasion, a victory parade was held in Singapore and was attended by large crowds. Schooling's National Service has been delayed to after 2020 and he is receiving all the help necessary from the Singaporean Government to perform well at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Schooling sits as an exemplary example of how a small city like Singapore has the capacity to produce the big guns. History has finally been made for the little red dot!
