Joseph Schooling (born 1995) is a Singaporean swimmer who has qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics. [1]
Schooling broke a record of Michael Phelps' in the 100 yards fly(short course)set when Phelps was the same age as Schooling. Should Schooling be an American,he would have been ranked No.1 on the US' top 100 list for 15-and 16-year-olds for his 47.06 second effort in Texas for the 100 yards fly(short course).In a phone interview from his home in Jacksonville conducted by The Straits Times,he said:"It's been a target of mine and I'm really happy to do that.It is a huge boost.I didn't like racing in yards when I first arrived here in the US but I've seen how important it is here in the States.Hopefully,I can get more of his records".He won two gold medals,one silver,one bronze,one SEA games record and four national marks at Indonesia's SEA games.He had already met the 'A' qualifying time in the 200m fly with his 1min 53.18 sec,gold winning effort at the SEA games.In the 100 metres fly(long course),Schooling clocked just 0.2 seconds behind a 16-year-old Michael Phelps' mark of 52.98.Before next July's 2012 Summer Olympics,Schooling has his eye set on taking down one more of Phelps' age-group marks - the 100 metre fly(long course).He said:"My experience in the SEA Games has given me a lot of confidence,especially in the 200 metre fly.Now I need to take my swimming to another level.I know I can get to Phelps' record in the 100 metre fly."