JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The hardest lap for any swimmer is usually the one coming home.
Thats when they have to try their hardest, giving it everything they have to get to the finish.
Singapores Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling is about to discover what that means when hes not in the competition pool.
After spending the last nine years in relative anonymity in the United States, the 23-year-old Schooling is getting ready for the second half of his sporting career back in southeast Asia, knowing he probably wont be able to walk down the street or go for dinner without being noticed.
“Its everywhere but it shows that they support you and theyre excited to see you, and so you cant complain,” Schooling said. “You can never brush aside your fans. Youve always got to reciprocate so Im completely fine with it.”
Schooling is competing this week at the Asian Games in Indonesia, where he has entered in the 50- and 100-meter butterfly races, three relays and the 50 freestyle. He will bid to defend his title in the 100 butterfly on Wednesday.
Despite leaving Singapore in his teens to chase his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, the island-state has always been in Schoolings heart. But so too has Texas, where he has been studying at University and training under the watchful eye of Eddie Reese.
Schooling will complete his economics degree later this year before returning to Singapore, but will take back two permanent reminders of his time in the U.S. that changed his life.
One is the tattoo on his left shoulder of the University of Texas mascot, the Longhorn. The other, inked after he won Rio, is the Olympic rings on his right bicep.
The Longhorns won the NCAA national title four years in a row while Schooling was on the team and he credits his time there for helping him win the ultimate prize when he beat American great Michael Phelps for the Olympic title in the 100 fly.
“Its great, its a different atmosphere, great teammates,” Schooling said. “I feel like its the perfect environment for high performance.”
Schooling wants to keep swimming through to the 2024 Olympics in Paris and, although he hasnt made a final decision on his training plans, he has spent the past few months practicing with Singapores new high-performance unit and likes what he sees.
Australias Stephan Widmer, who helped Libby Lenton and Leisel Jones win Olympic titles, has been appointed performance director at the institute while Gary Tan is the national head coach and Sonya Porter, who has extensive experience coaching in the U.S., is the technical director.
Schoolings biggest challenge could be how to deal with his celebrity status but after he held off Phelps on the biggest final lap of his life to date, hes confident he can manage.
“It takes some getting used to but at the end of the day if you focus on what youre doing and you dont care about outside distractions its ok,” he said. “I like being in that position and I dont see it as a burden at all.”
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The hardest lap for any swimmer is usually the one coming home.
Thats when they have to try their hardest, giving it everything they have to get to the finish.
Singapores Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling is about to discover what that means when hes not in the competition pool.
After spending the last nine years in relative anonymity in the United States, the 23-year-old Schooling is getting ready for the second half of his sporting career back in southeast Asia, knowing he probably wont be able to walk down the street or go for dinner without being noticed.
“Its everywhere but it shows that they support you and theyre excited to see you, and so you cant complain,” Schooling said. “You can never brush aside your fans. Youve always got to reciprocate so Im completely fine with it.”
Schooling is competing this week at the Asian Games in Indonesia, where he has entered in the 50- and 100-meter butterfly races, three relays and the 50 freestyle. He will bid to defend his title in the 100 butterfly on Wednesday.
Despite leaving Singapore in his teens to chase his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, the island-state has always been in Schoolings heart. But so too has Texas, where he has been studying at University and training under the watchful eye of Eddie Reese.
Schooling will complete his economics degree later this year before returning to Singapore, but will take back two permanent reminders of his time in the U.S. that changed his life.
One is the tattoo on his left shoulder of the University of Texas mascot, the Longhorn. The other, inked after he won Rio, is the Olympic rings on his right bicep.
The Longhorns won the NCAA national title four years in a row while Schooling was on the team and he credits his time there for helping him win the ultimate prize when he beat American great Michael Phelps for the Olympic title in the 100 fly.
“Its great, its a different atmosphere, great teammates,” Schooling said. “I feel like its the perfect environment for high performance.”
Schooling wants to keep swimming through to the 2024 Olympics in Paris and, although he hasnt made a final decision on his training plans, he has spent the past few months practicing with Singapores new high-performance unit and likes what he sees.
Australias Stephan Widmer, who helped Libby Lenton and Leisel Jones win Olympic titles, has been appointed performance director at the institute while Gary Tan is the national head coach and Sonya Porter, who has extensive experience coaching in the U.S., is the technical director.
Schoolings biggest challenge could be how to deal with his celebrity status but after he held off Phelps on the biggest final lap of his life to date, hes confident he can manage.
“It takes some getting used to but at the end of the day if you focus on what youre doing and you dont care about outside distractions its ok,” he said. “I like being in that position and I dont see it as a burden at all.”
