Retired Olympic champ Joseph Schooling admits public expectations 'weighed' on swim career
At the same time, the Singaporean butterfly specialist tells CNA it was his job to deal with expectations.
Olympic champion Joseph Schooling at a press conference on his retirement at Singapore's Chinese Swimming Club on Apr 2, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Eugene Goh)
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SINGAPORE: Like every athlete which came before and will come after him, Joseph Schooling has had to deal with scrutiny and stress.
Yet the difference is that Singapore's only Olympic champion has been put under the microscope like no other local sportsperson.
Speaking to CNA after announcing his retirement on Tuesday (Apr 2), the 28-year-old swim star admitted that the "most" pressure he has ever felt was when defending his 2016 title at the next Olympics. And it was exacerbated by the fact that he wasn't at a level where he wanted to be.Â
"The stress has always been there, but if I'm physically and mentally prepared, I have nothing to worry about, because all of this is just outside noise," he said.
"It's the moment where you know that you're not in the spot where you like to be or you know you should be, that's when the stress from the outside; also consequences if I don't podium, don't medal, what's going to happen – those weighed on my mind.
"But it's my job to manage those expectations."
"COMFORT IS THE MOTHER OF ALL MESS-UPS"
Looking back, there are things which Schooling believes he could have done differently after his win in Rio, where he famously beat his idol Michael Phelps.
"Comfort is the mother of all mess-ups ... I felt like I did what I wanted to do, I felt that I was very comfortable and comfort felt great. That was the first time in my life I felt that way," he explained.
"It was a period where a 21-year-old me had to go through a lot of these life experiences and maybe didn't have the maturity to match up and make those decisions like I do now for example."
He said he could have stepped back, refocused and been "honest" with himself on the work needed to maintain that level he'd reached.
"Am I actually willing to put that in? Or am I doing this because this is what I know?"
At the COVID-delayed Olympics in Tokyo five years later, Schooling failed to retain his title in the 100m butterfly event.
He did not qualify for the semi-finals, clocking 53.12s to finish last in his heat and placing 44th overall.
"NS DID NOT END MY CAREER"
Further scrutiny of Schooling came in 2022, when he confessed to consuming cannabis overseas while on short-term disruption from full-time National Service (NS), to train and participate in the SEA Games.
"At the end of the day, it's all about individual accountability. You make your bed and you lay in it - I love that saying," said Schooling.
"Even without being under the scrutiny, life is just tough in general ... As athletes or as people, our jobs are to manage that.
"If you're not cut out to be in this line of work ... maybe you need to consider a different path. But for me, although times were tough looking back, I wouldn't have had it any other way," he said.
"If you're willing to take the good, you better be willing to take the bad."
Earlier on Tuesday, Schooling also told reporters at a media event that the decision to retire was his and not forced upon him by NS.
"NS did not end my career per se. I ended it on my own terms,” he said.
At the same time, he admitted to having a "negative mindset" when enlisting for NS in January 2022.
"The first three months were probably one of the hardest three months of my life," Schooling said.
But he woke up one morning with the realisation that he had to just "roll with it".
"You don't fight the tide, you swim with it," he added.
Schooling had been on long-term deferment from NS since 2014. It was due to expire after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
At the 2022 SEA Games, the swimmer told reporters that it was important to discuss and manage expectations put on athletes doing their National Service, even as they strive to bring success to Singapore in the sporting arena.
"It's not ideal. But at the same time ... I consider myself very lucky because I set out, won the gold medal and I could at least have that under my belt," he told CNA on Tuesday.
"Looking back, I don't blame NS. As much as part of me likes to go back and think: 'What if I've done this? What if I've done that?' There is really no point because at the end of the day, if we don't have our country, I won't be able to swim."
Daily Cuts: Former national swimmer Mark Chay reflects on Schoolings' retirement
WORKING ON A SWIMMING PIPELINE
Looking ahead, Schooling plans to explore the areas of finance and sports, and grow his swim school.
Another area of interest for him is growing the pipeline of local talent.
"There's so many different fronts that we need to get better (in) collectively. Right now, I'm focused on the pipeline ... We're seeing a smaller and smaller pipeline of young athletes in Singapore," said Schooling, pointing to the need to fill this gap or void.
"Right now, we're not even at that hurdle where guys are 18,19 years old, we're at the hurdle where guys and girls are six and seven years old. We need to solve that first because if we don't solve that, there's not going to be any part two."
This starts first by convincing parents, said Schooling.
"Parents want one thing, they want the best for their kids. Plain and simple. Why do people become doctors and lawyers? Because these are traditionally well paid jobs. Everyone's got to eat. We understand that," he added.
"So how do we actually gain more awareness, letting the parents know there's more than one way to be successful? Let's work together at that."
