Speaking to Channel News Asia at the One: Dynasty of Heroes championship fight event this week in which the Singaporean swimming star accompanied MMA champ Angela Lee, Schooling had no qualms about revealing his goal for the 2017 FINA World Championships. The 21-year-old Olympic gold medalist who was welcomed home as a hero last summer after winning his nation’s first swimming gold medal says his target is taking the 100m butterfly world record from now-retired American Michael Phelps.
“I’m looking forward to that race and deep down I think if I do what I know I can do, if I execute everything well perfectly, I’d have a really good shot,” Schooling told CNA.
Phelps’ record stands at an incredible 49.82 from the 2009 World Championships, produced in a Speedo LZR Racer suit in an era of the polyurethane super suits. Knowing he’d have to become just the 3rd swimmer in history to delve into sub-50 second territory to get the world record-setting job done, Schooling says that clinching the WR would ‘really be an amazing feat, something I really want. And with that extra motivation, anything can happen.’
Schooling’s performance in Rio proved his has what it takes on the big stage, clocking a speedy 50.39 for gold in an Olympic Record and in the 5th fastest performance in history. He beat a trio of fly legends in the process, with Phelps, Hungarian Laszlo Cseh and South African Chad Le Clos all tying for silver.
For anyone disappointed in the Texas Longhorn’s NCAA performance where he failed to make it into the 200y butterfly final, Schooling points to the experience as a lesson learned, a situation which has fueled him mentally.
“Now that I have experienced what losing really feels like … I don’t want to feel like that ever again,” he said. “I’m done feeling that way. And that’s good.”
Internationally, no men have clocked a 100m butterfly time beneath the 51-second mark thus far this season, with the world rankings led by Le Clos’ 51.29 from April. Several other fly sprinters look primed to challenge the Olympic gold medalist in the form of Britain’s James Guy and China’s Li Zhuhao, although each would have to put up national records to even score a time under 51 seconds.
2016-2017 LCM Men 100 Fly
DRESSELL
49.86
| 2 | Kristof MILAK | HUN | 50.62*WJR | 07/29 |
| 3 | James GUY | GBR | 50.67 | 07/28 |
| 4 | Joseph Schooling | SIN | 50.78 | 07/28 |
| 5 | Laszlo CSEH | HUN | 50.92 | 07/29 |
That’s also what Joseph said on Friday: I respect Michael Phelps, more after the Olympics. He’s been doing it for so long and he’s been so consistent. And consistency is the key. It’s easy to bust out one good race and you have all this fame. But being consistent year in and year out, that’s totally impressive.”
You can read this: http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/honest-jo-now-realises-the-challenge-lies-in-consistency
Quite the ambitious goal, but if anyone has the capability of doing it, it’s Schooling. He just went the fastest time in history in a textile suit, he’s young, and he’s getting better each day. However I feel like Budapest is just a bit early. He will only have 9 months tops of solid training by the time worlds come around, and I just don’t think he’s quite there yet. Down the line I would say it’s as good as his, but personally I just don’t think it’s his time just yet. I cannot stress enough that I have total respect for this guy and admire him greatly for his goals and what he has accomplished, but I just don’t… Read more »
Easy point that I haven’t read in the comments so far.
Schooling at Olympics2016 swam like Cavic at Olympics2008: one heat in the 100 free to feel the water and arriving super-fresh (also mentally) in his main event, the 100 fly.
And he swam that great time in the final of 100 fly because he was super-strong and extremely well trained, yes, but also because he was, I repeat, extremely fresh.
Swimming 49.8 it’s like climbing the Mount Everest:
In my opinion Schooling needs to race only the 100 fly (or just the 50 fly before) to have some chances to do it.
If he’ll be swimming also the 200 fly or the 100 free (both… Read more »
Don’t underestimate him.
What the heck is wrong with some of you posters? Schooling wants to break the WR in the 100LCM butterfly, is that some sort of crime? When you can swim as fast as he can, it’s a no-brainer that he wants to break the record.
If I could have swam as fast as he does, I’d have breaking the WR as one of my goals too. He’s already won an Olympic gold medal so breaking the WR is the next logical goal.
I wish him the best of luck!
if he does it I’m quitting swimming
I don’t see why all the hating and doubting… This kind of statement is great for the sport of swimming, a sport that not always has the headlines that deserves beyond specialized websites like this one here.
Plus, records are made to be broken, we all acknowledge Phelps’ insanely great legacy, but nothing wrong saying we want to see a record go down, I’m all in for the evolution of the sport and also for excitement of it.
Let’s go Joseph, I’m gonna be looking forward to watch this 100 fly!!!
It is a good goal. I will say that the 100 fly was one of MP’s weaker events. His first 50 speed was never very great. A beautiful, natural stroke, but not one built for flat out speed.
Schoolings 100 fly in rio was just amazing to me. He had solid front half speed, and pretty outstanding back half speed. Maybe not as deadly as phelps’s was, but he gets out fast enough where he doesn’t need to come home in 25 mid or even 24 high to pull ahead. I feel like other countries such as Australia, Japan, and GB that didn’t have a fantastic games will put on a show this summer (GB did have a great games, however it probably wasn’t what they wanted considering the numerous 4th place finishes).
It will be tough to do, rember phelps split 23.36 26.46 in the 49.82, which is just ridiculous. The other sub 50 swim ever produced, which was Cavic’s 49.95, had splits of 22.69 27.26, which I think is safe to ignore as one of those ridicoulous tech suit swims. My point is that it will take some insane splits to break this record. Schooling would have to Basically go near all out the first 50 and then return in a 26 mid. If anyone in the world can do it though, it’s schooling
Let’s not act like Phelps’s WR wasn’t a ridiculous tech suit swim. He was in a full body LZR and he never approached that time in textile or even without a full body suit.
I wasn’t saying it isn’t, just cavic went 22.69 on the first 50, which is just ridiculous, and really undermines what the suits did to the sport.
I’d like to add the fact that Phelps didn’t get the block fin back in 2009, maybe he could have gone faster, say a 49.74. But Schooling has the ability to take in out fast and still have a good turn… Although the last 20 meters is where Phelps was superhuman. It’ll be really cool to see