JOSEPH SCHOOLING: "Conquering pinnacles and his own childhood hero" -

It was a cloudy and humid Wednesday, yet it was scorching 33 degrees Celsius temperature. The largest aquatic center in Singapore was quite lively at 4 pm, with more than half a dozen swimmers practicing in the pool, coaches busily providing instructions and recording the athletes' times. Waves and splashes in the pool were so tempting that even we wanted to jump in due to the humidity and heat. We were walking to the interview room when we first met him. It was the one and only Joseph Isaac Schooling. Wearing a light blue T-shirt, dark grey shorts and a friendly smile, he welcomed us warmly and let us know that he'd be with us shortly.

Michael Phelps / Joseph Schooling
Joseph was only 21 years old when he brought home the 1st gold medal ever in Swimming for Singapore in the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Certainly most would know him as the swimmer that beat his own childhood hero, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, Michael Phelps. Glancing at the list of questions while waiting for him to meet with us, a feeling of wonder and curiosity came over us about how he dealt with success from such a young age.

It was 10 minutes later when he entered the interview room. Busy as he has been, it was easy to see that he was happy to be home. After staying for years in Texas to study and train, Joseph had finally made his way home―this time for good. When asked what he liked most about being home, he was quick to reply: "Home cooked Chai Tow Kway!" he smiled.

Conquering pinnacles
Joseph Schooling, Swimming
As Joe, what his friends and family call him, talks, he paused to tell us his view of the Olympic Games.

"[Being in the] Olympic Games is [the] pinnacle of every athlete's hopes and dreams. To me those are the perfect words to say it. It is the top, the pinnacle of what we all strive to do."

"[Winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games had always been] my lifelong dream." he said. Not only did he manage to achieve his impossible dream in 2016, he also set a new Olympic Games record for the 100-meter butterfly at 50.39 seconds, an astounding 0.75 seconds ahead of Phelps.

Of course, these days most of us know him for his achievements, including his collection of medals from the World Swimming Championships, Asian Games and the South East Asian Games. Winning the Olympic gold medal also brought him other national honors, such as the honorary Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Service Medal), a medal awarded to person who has made an exceptional contribution to Singapore. An orchid was even named in his honor―"the Dendrobium Joseph Schooling".