Hanoi, Vietnam, May 16, 2022: One of Asia’s most popular athletes, Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, proved he still has the competitive fire in his belly by winning the 100m butterfly final at the 31st Southeast Asian Games at the My Dinh Water Sports Palace in Hanoi on Monday evening.
The 26-year-old Rio 2016 Olympic Games champion in the 100m butterfly secured his fifth straight SEA Games title in this event dating back to 2013.
The national hero clocked 52.22 seconds to take gold, ahead of teammate Quah Zheng Wen (52.86) and Thailand’s Navaphat Wongcharoen (52.98).
Schooling, who was given leave from his National Service duty to compete in the SEA Games, told The Straits Times: “The timing was irrelevant for this one. It was about stepping up and getting your hand on the wall first.
“There are a lot of things we can work on during the race but, at the end of the day, I’m glad to get my one and only individual event out of the way. I could be doing more but you just swim the best you can when called upon.”
He said that winning five consecutive 100m fly titles “feels great, makes you feel kind of old as well. I’m really pleased to be able to do that. At the end of the day, five in a row is really great…looking forward to maybe six next time I don’t know.”
National head coach Gary Tan was full of praise for Schooling, whom he said has been a leading figure for the younger swimmers.
“He’s been a leader, especially in these SEA Games, and I know that he would want to make it extra special. He’s been great,” said Tan.