And… he’s off! (Picture courtesy of Joseph Schooling).
As for the coaches, I’d say Sergio Lopez, whom I am training under now, is one of the best coaches in the world but Singapore has good coaches too, like my childhood coach Ian Turner, who was great. David Lim, whom I train under whenever I am back in Singapore, is also good. Singapore has the talent and the means but we are such a young country compared to the US and so we need more time to develop.
What is your secret to being able to swim so fast?
I think it’s not a secret. Basically you train hard, work hard and you have goals and aspirations. If you want something bad enough, you will do whatever it takes to get it.
Basically the secret is hard work, training and lots of talent.
What is your typical training schedule like?
For Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, it’s 5.30am to 7.30am and then I go to school. In the afternoons from Mondays to Fridays, it’s 3.15pm to 6.15pm and then Saturday mornings, my training is from 7am to 10am.
The rest of my time is free.
Do you have a specific diet that you follow as a top swimmer?
Joseph doesn’t have a specific diet. (Picture courtesy of Joseph Schooling).
Well my nutritionist always encourages me to eat healthier but you know, we burn so much and we’re so thin that I really don’t have a special diet! I eat what I want, when I want and wherever I want and so I don’t have a secret special diet. I eat basically whatever a teenage boy like me feels like eating.
But obviously though I don’t eat McDonalds or Burger King every day. I eat fast food maybe once every two weeks or once a month sometimes. I’m not one of those kids who go crazy over fast food. I don’t crave it all the time. And I don’t eat ice cream a lot. I may have one ice cream as and when I feel like it, maybe once every fortnight or so. Of course, you can’t just pig out and eat all of this type of food all the time.
How do you fit in your swimming with your family and studies?
My parents alternate and take turns to come to the US because they’re not citizens so we sacrifice a lot of family and time together – so that’s hard. It’s very rare that both of my parents are on the same side of the world. Either my mum’s here or my dad’s here so when I am back in Singapore, I try to have as much family time as I can.
With school, it’s all time management. Yes, of course it’s harder than what typical students go through because of time constraints but you have to compartmentalise and try and sort out everything so we can’t really waste a lot of time.
So I try to be a good organiser and time manager, but I can’t say that I am the best at it.
What are some of the biggest challenges in your sports career so far?
I’d say probably getting up at 5.30am in the mornings during winter and going down and jumping into the pool during freezing cold temperatures. Going to swim outdoors when it’s cold, is probably one of the hardest things to do. (TO NEXT PAGE)
Joseph Schooling Wins Singapore’s First Ever Olympic Gold Medal
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