Joseph Schooling “Relieved” To Win 100 Fly Bronze At Worlds (SW Radio)

While the attention in the men’s 100 butterfly final at the FINA world championships was focused on the middle of the pool, Joseph Schooling was making his move in lane one. The result was a bronze medal for Schooling, his first at the world championships.

“I looked over at the 75 and I saw Chad (Le Clos) and I couldn’t see (Li Zhuhao) in the lane next to me, so I knew I was in a pretty good spot,” he said. “After that, the last two or three strokes, just head down and hope for the best.”

Listen To Interview On Swimming World Radio

Schooling was not happy with getting fourth in the 50 butterfly to start the meet, and he finished 10th in the semifinals of the 200 butterfly. But he said it’s a situation he’s faced before. He was disappointed with his 50 fly and 200 fly at last year’s Commonwealth Games, but put everything together to rally and earn silver behind Le Clos in the 100 fly last year in Scotland.

“I’m just glad I could repeat it again,” he said. “Just never give up.” He said he was “more relieved than anything” to be able to recover and end his meet on a good note.

It’s the first world championship medal for Singapore, a small island nation that is working to bring itself into swimming prominence. One step toward that was the Southeast Asia Games, where Schooling won nine medals. While he was happy about the experience, he said he might have over-reached at that meet and affected his preparation for world championships.

“I think I messed up my taper a little bit,” he said. “I went kind of hard for those 200s especially. (After the meet), I just kept hammering down weights. I think that helped a lot.”

It’s been a big year for Schooling, including big performances at the NCAA championships in March. He said he’s taking his swims from this year and

“I got to keep up with them, no matter what,” he said. “I might be five or six years their junior, but it doesn’t matter. I have just got to keep at it.”

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