Olympic gold win is for Singapore, says Joseph Schooling

Singapore's history-maker Joseph Schooling has paid tribute to the support system around him after winning Olympic gold on Saturday morning.

The 21-year-old clocked a sensational 50.39 seconds to win the men's 100-metre butterfly final in Rio de Janeiro, obliterating the rest of the field as idol and defending champion Michael Phelps tied for a three-way silver with rivals Chad Le Clos and Laszlo Czeh.

That time is the fastest ever clocked in a textile suit, besting Ian Crocker's 50.40s time from 2005.

Schooling punched the water in delight after touching home first and then had tears in his eyes during the medal presentation ceremony, where Majulah Singapura was played for the first time ever at an Olympic Games.

The Texas-based swimmer, who moved to the United States to study and train in 2009, deflected the attention from his historic feat aftewards in the mixed zone.

"This moment is not about me," he told reporters. "It's all about my coaches, my friends, my family that believed when I was a 6-year-old kid, [that] I can do this.

"This one wasn't for me. It was really for my country."

Schooling's Olympic dreams were sparked after a conversation at six with granduncle Lloyd Valberg, who was the first ever Olympian from Singapore.

He has also always been inspired by Phelps, the 22-time Olympic gold medallist whom he beat. The 31-year-old American, who has said Rio will be his last Games, had kind words for Schooling despite losing in an event for the first time in Brazil.

"He said, 'Good job'," Schooling revealed. "That was a great race. I told him to go four more years. He said no way. Hopefully, he changes his mind. That was fun. I like racing Michael."

Hungarian Cseh, the reigning European champion, added, “He is one of the few people who actually can do a really fast first 50m. Chad and Michael and me are really good at the second leg, but for the first, he’s the best.”

Former Singapore swimmer Mark Chay agreed, noting that Schooling led from start to finish in the race.

"The fundamendals really showed today, he came out half a body ahead of everyone else and the moment he came out after the turn, I knew the guy’s gonna win," he told Yahoo Singapore.

“At the back of his mind, he probably knows Phelps is trying to run him down and that’s something. When he finished he was just so dominant. it was an amazing swim."

“On the podium, you have the world-record holder playing bridesmaid to Joseph Schooling! That’s a moment Singapore should be very proud of."

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