Joseph Schooling made Olympic history Friday evening at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, becoming Singapore’s first Olympic champion after capturing the gold in the men’s 100m butterfly at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, defeating his childhood idol Michael Phelps in the process. Phelps, who has dominated this event at the past three Olympic Games, settled for silver in a stunning three-way tie with main rivals, Chad le Clos and László Cseh.
Schooling “Schools” the Rest of the Field in Impressive Display to Become Singapore’s First Olympic Champion
The fastest qualifier for the finals, it came as no surprise that Schooling was also the quickest off the mark, mounting an early advantage on the rest of the field, which included three-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps, the heavy favourite to reign supreme once again. At the halfway mark, the Singaporean, who also holds Singapore’s national record in this event, showed no signs of slowing down from there, holding a .32 lead on Russia’s Aleksandr Sadovnikov, who sat in second place, while the rest of the field began to make one final push towards the finish line.
Phelps, known for his incredible closing speed, was beginning to make his move at the perfect time with the finish line, but was unable to chase down Schooling as the Singaporean, himself, made one final push towards the Olympic podium with his advantage seemingly insurmontable in the final 5m of the race. Showcasing his phenomenal closing speed, it was Schooling who would get to the wall first, clocking in at an Olympic Record time of 50.39 to win his nation’s first-ever Olympic gold medal.
Touching the wall nearly nine-tenths of a second later, it appeared to be Phelps who would settle for silver before it was deemed a three-way tie for second place, with the American, South Africa’s Chad le Clos and Hungarian László Cseh all clocking in at 51.14 for the silver medal, an Olympic first.
“It feels great, it kinds of feels surreal right now, it’s crazy,” Schooling said after the race when asked to describe the emotions of winning his first Olympic gold medal. “I really can’t describe how this moment feels. All the adrenaline is running through my veins right now. It’s a dream come true.”
“I’m really honoured and privileged to swim alongside some of these great names, people who changed the face of our sport,” he added. “I can’t really tell you how grateful I am to have this chance to swim in an Olympic final and to represent our country.”
“I’m just ecstatic. I don’t think it has set in yet. It’s just crazy.”
Phelps, who came out of retirement to compete in his fifth Olympic Games, will end his Olympic career by competing in the men’s 4x100 medley relay on Saturday. “This is it. I’m not doing it. I swore in London I wasn’t coming back but this is final,” said the 22-time Olympic gold medallist.