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 |
wpDiscuz
Schooling will go 50.5 at fastest…. what a cocky little dude.
it’s a totally reasonable goal. He’s half a second away, still young and getting faster, hardly cocky.
I concur with you mate.
I hope he does.
He’s not cocky. He is fearless. I’m a huge fan, but let’s be realistic. 50.39 to 49.82 is still more than half second away. He may still be relatively young at 21 yo, but let’s not forget the long list of swimmers who went very close to WRs at younger age, and seemingly inevitable to break their event’s WR, and then nothing. James Magnussen was still only 20 yo when he he went 47.10, and it’s only 0.19 seconds off WR. Then not much. McEvoy at 22 went closer, only 0.14 seconds off the WR. Are we sure that he will break the WR, considering how close he is and how relatively young he is? The only time Phelps broke… Read more »
its possible for him to drop that much time!! in 2014-2015 he went from 51.69 to 50.96, which is a huge time drop of 0.73s, and from 2015 to this past summer in rio, he dropped from 50.96 to 50.39, a drop of 0.57s which is exactly how much time he needs to drop to match phelps’ record, but seeing as he has the potential to drop even more time, i believe the world record would be a very realistic goal
If anyone hasn’t the right to say the world record is their goal, I think the defending Olympic Gold Medalist is it…
Many people would say the same when he said he wanted gold in Rio lol.
Cocky as hell!
Since when did having a goal make someone cocky? Everyone has the right to say what they want to achieve and it does not make them cocky for doing it.
Nah, Dressel will beat him to it.
Pretty unlikely as long as the worlds and Olympic schedule continue having the 50 free and 100 fly at the same time. Plus Dressel has been under 52.9 a total of one time in his whole life.
But but he’s the fastest in yards which means he’s the fastest in long course too
Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not. So many of us here have discussed (beaten it to death??!!) that fast SCY does not always translate to fast LCM. No doubt Dressel is utterly the fastest SCY 1 Free & 1 fly, but we have yet to see the breakout performances in the LCM versions of these events. Hopefully, he can do it, & then we may see a rematch from M-NCAA’s 2017, a la The GOAT & Cavic 2008 Beijing & 2009 Rome. That would be exciting.
Coach Mike, I think you missed UberFan’s point: Dressel beat Schooling this year at NCAA’s with the fastest yards time ever recorded, so Dressel is faster than Schooling in meters, too.
Sven, this is not true. Yards cant be compared to metres. Dont be naive. Dressel hasnt got a medal in 100 fly in worlds and olympics.
I’m not being serious, my point was to point out how ridiculous some people can be just because someone went super fast in yards.
Sven, please see Jay’s comment next. Says it best.
Mike and Jay,
I think you guys are overlooking a really important detail that will almost certainly change your minds: Dressel beat Schooling in yards.
As further evidence, consider:
David Nolan: best yards 200 IMer ever, best meters 200 IMer ever.
Ryan Hoffer: One of the fastest yards sprinters ever, one of the best meters sprinters ever.
Nathan Adrian: National champ in the 200 yard free, national champ in the long course 200 free.
etc. I can go on and on, just admit that you’re wrong and let’s move on to some more constructive topics, guys.
sven i think you’re missing the point. not all good yards swimmers are that impressive in metres. Dressel for example, may be the fastest ever in the 100y butterfly, but in lcm he has never gone under 52.2 seconds or made at least a semi-final in a major meet, whereas schooling has made numerous semi-finals and finals in major meets, even winning several medals for his fly and his pb is 50.39. Yes most good yards swimmers are good in metres as well, as seen in Ryan Murphy, Nathan Adrian and Joe Schooling, but this may not be true in all events. Caeleb Dressel may be good in freestyle events in yards and metres, but that’s not really the case… Read more »
Sorry, Jelly, but you are mistaken. Please refer back to my evidence re: Nolan, Hoffer, and Adrian. It’s quite clear.
this is not true
Sven is just joking, Jelly. Nolan and Hoffer are terrible lcm swimmers. Let’s forget this topic because no one here is serious.
Funniest person on this site by far
I am pretty sure Schooling will get back his 100 and 200 yard NCAA crown next year.
yes i think he will!!!
as in he will get back his ncaa crowns
He had a disastrous NCAA meet and junior year Hopefully he can bounce back
2 PBs in 3 events isn’t “disastrous”
Tbh I thought he swam his best race at the semis at Rio, because there were some comments about how he didn´t like semis. He shocked everyone winning gold the next night. Expecting big things from this young man.
I don’t think him winning was particularly a shock. F anything for people who keep up with swimming he was one of the favourites if not the favourite.
After Phelps put up the second fastest textile time ever in 2015? Face it Schooling winning was a surprise even to swimming fans
Most people realized that Phelps went that fast due to a severely reduced schedule (0 relays and no semifinals). If Phelps swam the exact same schedule is Schooling in rio, I think he would have beaten him