How a single swim delivered Singapore's first Olympic gold medal

Countries & Cities · Published 13 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 2016, Joseph Schooling clocked 50.39 seconds to shatter the Olympic record. It was more than a victory; it was a historic milestone for a nation, earning him a massive cash prize and a permanent place in Singapore's botanical and sporting history.

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Joseph Schooling achieved what no Singaporean had done before: winning an Olympic gold medal. Competing in the 100m butterfly, he swam a time of 50.39 seconds, surpassing the previous Olympic record of 50.58 seconds set by Michael Phelps in 2008. This performance was so significant that the Singapore National Olympic Council awarded him S$1 million under the Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme, a sum considered the world's largest Olympic cash prize. His achievement earned him the Meritorious Service Medal in October 2016. This massive award required him to reinvest 20% of the funds back into the Singapore Swimming Association to support future athletic development.

Schooling's path to the podium was shaped by international training and collegiate excellence. An alumnus of the Anglo-Chinese School, he swam for the University of Texas at Austin under legendary coaches like Eddie Reese. His career was marked by a series of record-breaking feats, including breaking the Asian Games record with a 51.76-second swim and setting multiple NCAA and US Open records during his time in the United States. His competitive journey included a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He also demonstrated dominance at the 2/2015 SEA Games, where he won nine events and set several new Games records.

Despite his triumphs, his career faced complexities, including the management of mandatory National Service in Singapore. After receiving a deferment to focus on the Tokyo Olympics, he began his service on 3 January 2022. Beyond the pool, his legacy is preserved through the Dendrobium Joseph Schooling orchid, a yellow-petaled hybrid named in his honor in 2017, and his transition into business ventures, including his swim school and roles in the financial sector. His family has a deep sporting lineage, as his father was a water polo player and his grand-uncle was Singapore's first Olympian in 1948. Today, he manages his own business, Swim Schooling, which was launched in 2018.

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