Joseph Schooling, the swimmer who won the only Olympic gold medal to date in Singapore in 2016, announced on Tuesday that he has retired from the pool at the age of 28.
Schooling, known in the city state as the “Singapore Flying Fish”, stunned the swimming world by beating his childhood hero Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a time of 50.39 seconds.
Schooling has struggled to match that level of global success since 2016, winning a lone bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships and losing in the heat of his title defense at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. did.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter. I am retiring from competitive swimming,” Schooling said in a message posted on Facebook.
“I am filled with gratitude for all the experiences that swimming has brought to my life. The victories have been exhilarating and the defeats humiliating. Together they have built resilience within me and We will take it to the next chapter.”
Although the eight years since Rio have seen more defeats than victories, Schooling will retire with three Asian Games gold medals and 29 Southeast Asian Games gold medals.
Schooling was dropped from Singapore's squad for last year's postponed Asian Games in Hangzhou, Bina, after two other swimmers posted faster times.
He told The Straits Times it was “disappointing” and said he was undecided about his future ahead of the Olympic year.
“Even though I am stepping away from competition, swimming will forever be a part of who I am,” Schooling said Tuesday.
“It has given me a platform to inspire others to follow their dreams, no matter the hardships.
“I'm looking forward to exploring new passions, facing different challenges, and seeing where the next phase of my life will take me.”
