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10 Facts About Joseph Schooling’s Failure to Defend His Title

2021-07-30 , 4:30 pm

While international competitions like the World Cup may be out of our reach, the Olympics always present an opportunity for Singaporeans to cheer on our countrymen as they battle it out for those prestigious medals.

Before 2016, Singapore had only won bronze and silver medals, which is an amazing feat in itself.

The bronze medals were won in table tennis, while the silver medals were claimed by a weightlifter and another paddler.

In 2016, however, a young swimmer named Joseph Schooling etched his name into Singapore’s history books by winning the country’s first-ever gold medal.

Five years later, hopes were high that the 26-year-old would be able to replicate his success to defend his title, but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.

Here are 10 facts about Joseph Schooling’s latest performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:

He Failed to Qualify For the 100m Butterfly Semi-Finals

Schooling’s favourite event, the 100m butterfly, did not go according to plan.

He clocked a time of 53.12s in the heat, finishing last.

Since he came in 44th overall out of 55, Schooling failed to make it to the semi-finals, as only the top 16 in the heats make it to the next round.

This Was the Event He Won Gold For in the 2016 Rio Olympics

The 100m butterfly event was the one where Schooling came out on top in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

He beat veterans like favourites like Michael Phelps and Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh to claim Singapore’s first-ever gold medal, to the jubilation of Singaporeans across the country.

At the time, Schooling was only 21.

He Was Around 3 Seconds Slower Than His Gold Medal Record Time

A few seconds can make a world of difference in the world of competitive swimming.

In the 2016 Olympics 100m butterfly finals, Schooling set an Olympic record time of 50.39 seconds.

In this year’s event, the 26-year-old clocked a time of 53.12 seconds, less than three seconds slower than his gold medal, record time.

His Record Time For the 100m Butterfly Event Was Beaten By an American

Unfortunately, Schooling’s 2016 record time was later beaten by Caeleb Dressel, a swimmer from the USA, in the semi-finals.

In fact, Dressel became the first man to break the 50-second mark in the 100m butterfly at the Olympics, winning the event’s semifinal in 49.71 seconds.

It is currently the third-fastest time in history.

He Also Competed in the 100m Freestyle Event

While not his favourite event, Schooling also competed in the 100 freestyle heat.

He clocked a time of 49.84, coming in sixth. Overall, his time placed him 39th out of 70.

As a result, he failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 100m freestyle event as well.

Schooling’s Compatriot, Quah Zheng Wen, Also Failed to Qualify

All eyes were on Schooling, and understandably so, but his fellow Singaporean, Quah Zheng Wen, also swam in the same event.

While he clocked a slightly faster time than Schooling – 52.39 seconds – he too, failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

He Said He Felt a “Bit Off” During the Event

Speaking after the event, Schooling said he felt “a bit off” and “flat” during the games.

“Usually when you get up for a big race like this, your heart is pumping, the adrenaline is flowing… but this felt like I was boxing 12 rounds and starting the 11th,” he said.

However, he maintained that his performance didn’t reflect all the training that he had done throughout the year.

He Trains Nine Times a Week

Yes, you read that right.

According to an interview Schooling did with One World Leadership Symposium in their webinar, Schooling said he trains nine times a week.

He does two hours in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as well as a two to two and a half hours session on Saturday.

What’s more, the 26-year-old also lifts weights around three to four hours a week.

It sounds intense, but Schooling says he’s gotten used to it.

He Trains With a Family Friend Whom He’s Known Since He Was 12

After the event, Schooling was seen being consoled by Sergio Lopez Miro, his swimming coach.

Lopez is reportedly a family friend of the Schoolings and has known Joseph since he was just 12.

While he was trained under other coaches in the US when he was younger, Schooling was under Lopez’s tutelage in the lead up to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The pair reunited to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and trained for 15 months before the event.

He’s Confident His Career Will Not End on a Low

While Schooling is disappointed, he’s certainly not a defeatist.

“We’ve been working our tail off for the last 15 months. So, (I) definitely had bigger expectations for this … Sometimes it just doesn’t work out, sometimes … (you) just have an off week. But that’s not an excuse – that’s just more fuel for next time,” he said after the event.

“It’s hard to swallow, it’s hard to digest, but at the same time … you live to fight another day. And I sure as hell don’t want to end it like this, it’s just one of those meets.”

“It’s a very disappointing performance overall. But there’s always another one, I’m just not going to end it like that,” he asserted.

Schooling may not have been able to defend his title, but Singapore is certainly proud of him, and will always remember his historic win five years ago.