Damn!
The the only thing I have over him is that I am currently 1 cm taller at 1.83 cm.
Back in the day, when I enlisted in the army, I was measured at 1.85 cm, but the short girl measuring me had her ruler slanting upwards, thus, giving me an extra 2 cm, and I did not correct her mainly due to vanity, but I'm over that now.
Some other things to note in this news. I also have cousins with this surname, Schooling which is quite unique. My dad kept telling me this story of my cousin's answer to this question every time when asked,
"What's your surname?",
to which the reply would be,
"I'm Schooling",
and that would cause the questioner to do a double take and ask the question again.
| .
Sports News
Joseph Schooling sets sights on Olympic medal
by ADELENE WONG
Monday, 2013 Oct 21
http://www.todayonline.com/print/307961
Picture Caption:
Singapore's Joseph Schooling (pictured) is now the 10th fastest swimmer in the men's 200m butterfly after setting a national record of 1min 56.27secs in the event's semi-finals at the 2013 FINA World Championship. But it was not enough to see him through to the final. TODAY FILE PHOTO.
Click on Picture to enlarge
Track record and progress in recent years have given him self-belief
SINGAPORE — Ang Peng Siong came close in 1984 in Los Angeles, and Tao Li came closer five years ago in Beijing. Now, Joseph Schooling believes he can end Singapore’s wait for its first Olympic swimming medallist.
Widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents, the 18-year-old, who is based in the United States, is now aiming to finish on the podium at the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
According to US swimming records last month, Schooling, who specialises in the 100m and 200m butterfly events, is ranked in the top-five with Americans in his age group.
In the 100m fly, his time of 52.33secs is just behind 18-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps (51.10). He is also ranked third in 200m fly (1:56.27) and fifth in the 200m individual medley (1:59.99).
Schooling, a final-year student at the Bolles School in Florida, told TODAY his track record and progress in recent years have given him that self-belief.
“I have been steadily improving in my swimming over the past few years, so that is why I think I have a shot,” he said in an interview last week. “I want to bring glory to Singapore and win an Olympic medal in 2016 when I will be 21. Every competition is a stepping stone … I am getting closer (to my dream of winning an Olympic medal) every time I race.”
Ang and Tao have come closest to winning Singapore its first Olympic medal in swimming. At the 1984 Los Angeles Games, Ang was ranked ninth overall in the men’s 100m freestyle after winning the event’s “B” final for the eight fastest swimmers outside of the final. Twenty four years later at the Beijing Olympics, Tao became the first Singaporean to reach a swimming final, finishing fifth in the women’s 100m fly final.
Singapore have won four Olympic medals: A silver and two bronzes from table tennis and a silver in weightlifting.
Schooling made his Olympic debut in London last year, but was distracted after an official ruled just minutes before his 200m fly heats that his cap and goggles were not approved for the Games, leading to a disappointing time of 1min 59.18secs, well below his then-personal best of 1:56.67. But he said “champions don’t make excuses” and vowed to bounce back.
Since then, he has chalked up strong performances, including at the World Championships in Barcelona in July, where he lowered his own national 200m fly record to 1:56.27.
At the London Games, Phelps won the 100m fly in 51.21, while South Africa’s Chad Le Clos took the 200m fly in 1:52.96, and Schooling is under no illusions about the difficult task ahead, saying there “needs to be a right balance” for all the moving parts to come together.
One vital component is his application for deferment from National Service (NS) so that he can maintain his momentum to the 2016 Games. A spokesperson from Singapore’s Ministry of Defence confirmed on Friday that Schooling had “made a deferment request for NS”, but declined further comment until a Parliamentary sitting today, when the topic of providing a more flexible approach to NS enlistment for male athletes at their prime will be raised.
Choosing a university with a suitable academic and swimming programme is also important for Schooling. Several American colleges are reportedly keen on him, with the University of California at Berkeley, University of Texas at Austin and University of Florida among those on his shortlist.
In the meantime, preparations for the Dec 11-22 South-east Asian Games in Myanmar are on track as he aims to win all his seven events. Trained by Spain’s 1988 Olympic 200m breaststroke bronze medallist Sergio Lopez at Bolles, Schooling has added 4kg of muscle to his 1.82m tall frame to improve his speed.
Said Schooling: “If I pace myself properly, I am confident of going a lot faster.”
. |
===.
===.
No comments:
Post a Comment