August 14, 2016
RIO DE JANIERO – Joseph Schooling rocked the swimming world when he defeated the most successful Olympic athlete of all time in Michael Phelps, eight years after he met the 22-time gold medalist as a young boy.
August 14, 2016
RIO DE JANIERO – Joseph Schooling rocked the swimming world when he defeated the most successful Olympic athlete of all time in Michael Phelps, eight years after he met the 22-time gold medalist as a young boy.
Joseph Schooling, pictured with Michael Phelps in 2008, won the 100m butterfly gold medal at Rio 2016 (Picture: Reuters)
21-year-old Schooling triumph in the thrilling 100m butterfly final that saw Singapore claim its first ever Olympic gold medal and three men share second place, with Phelps standing alongside rival Chad le Clos on the podium as well as Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh.
Having already won four gold medals at the Rio Olympic Games, a fifth appeared to be a formality for 31-year-old Phelps, only for Schooling to upset the odds and turn the swimming world on its head.
Schooling shot out into a lead that he would not relinquish as he recorded a new Olympic record of 50.39 seconds, with Phelps, Le Clos and Cseh all clocking 51.14 to share the silver medal.
"I'm just ecstatic. I need it to sink in," Schooling told reporters afterwards.
"It feels great – kind of feels surreal right now, it's crazy," he said.
"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."
Courtesy: The Independent
