Rio Olympics: Joseph Schooling does the impossible, beats his idol Michael Phelps
Joseph Schooling, 21-year-old, has won Singapore its first ever Olympic gold by setting an Olympic Record of 50.39 seconds in the 100m men's butterfly event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
But what makes him special? His age? His record? The glory of bagging Singapore its first ever medal? All of the above and none of the above.
In the 100m butterfly event, Schooling beat 22-time Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps, who finished the race 0.75 seconds after him.
Schooling and Phelps have met before.
In 2008, Phelps and his team visited Singapore for a practice session before the Beijing Olympics. Schooling, then a teenager, met his idol, Phelps. The two clicked a photograph together, something Schooling probably smiled fondly at when Phelps went on to win gold at Beijing that year.
While Schooling has much to celebrate about his win at Rio, it remains to be said that Phelps displayed true sportsmanship after the match.
Not only did he congratulate Schooling, but Phelps also acknowledged that Schooling's achievements marked the advent of the next generation of super swimmers.
In an interview to NBC, Phelps said: "Watching Joe and what he's done over the last two years -- he's been swimming great. 50.3 is obviously a really good time and a very respectable time. My hat's definitely off to him."
Joseph Schooling: The next swimming legend?
"It's crazy to think of what happens in eight years," Schooling told reporters. "A lot of this is because of Michael. He's the reason I wanted to be a better swimmer," he said.
Schooling, a swimmer with the University of Texas, is a multi-time All-American and World Championships bronze medalist.
When representing Singapore at the international level, the six-feet-tall athlete broke the National Independent and overall high school record in the 100 fly.
Schooling represented Team Singapore at the 2014 Asian Games where he won a gold in 100m butterfly and a subsequent silver in the 50m butterfly and a bronze in 200m butterfly.
He earned his way into the 2012 London Olympics by swimming under the Olympis 'A' standard.
Michael Phelps gives Schooling his blessing
The camaraderie between Phelps and Schooling after the race was one to behold.
"Good job, that was a great race," Phelps told Schooling.
"Four more years?" the younger swimmer asked. "No way," came the response.
Chad Le Clos of South Africa, Laszlo Cseh from Hungary accompanied Phelps and Schooling on the podium. The crowd began to cheer "four more years, Four years more."
Phelps, the most celebrated athlete of his time, may have lost his last solo career match. But his love for the sport eclipses all else.
While Phelps withdrew his retirement only to challenge his arch rival Chad Le Clos, he can now hang up his swimming trunks for good.
The next generation of swimmers is here. And Phelps knows it. If you thought Schooling was the only one, you may want to check out the swimming prowess of Daiya Seto, the 22-year-old from Japan who won bronze in the 400m medley.
"I'm not happy, obviously, nobody like to lose. But I'm proud of Joe. I wanted to change the sport of swimming. With the people we have in the sport now I think you are seeing it," said Phelps.
"I think the biggest thing for me is I've kind of been able to finish the way I wanted to. I've been able to come back, and I've been able to accomplish things that I just dreamt of. Being able to close the door on the sport the way I wanted to, that's why I'm happy right now," he said.
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