Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling eyes more Olympic glory

Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling (L) poses with his father Colin and mother May after his arrival from Rio 2016 Olympic Games on 15 August at Changi International airport in Singapore. Singapore homegrown swimming hero Joseph Schooling beat US legend Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly in Rio to win the tiny republic’s first ever Olympic gold - AFP

Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling speaks to the media upon arrival from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Changi International airport in Singapore on 15 August AFP.

Reuters: Singapore’s first Olympic gold medalist, swimmer Joseph Schooling, said on Tuesday he was looking to beat the world record for 100 meters butterfly and planned to compete in two more events at the next Olympics in Tokyo.

After winning gold in Rio de Janeiro in the 100 meters butterfly last week and reaching the semi-finals in 100 meters freestyle, Schooling said he might also challenge in the 200 meters butterfly and the 200 meters individual medley (IM).

“Next goal, next step, besides breaking the record for 100 fly would be getting my 200 fly back. ... I’ve got a good shot. I’ve been training for 200 fly, that’s why I can finish a 100 pretty well,” he told reporters after returning to a cheering crowd in his home country.

“I think 200 IM would be a good race. An all-around race for me,” added Schooling, sporting a new tattoo of the Olympic circles on his right biceps.

Schooling, 21, finished the 100 meters butterfly final in an Olympic record time of 50.39 seconds, ahead of his childhood idol Michael Phelps, South Africa’s Chad le Clos and Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh who all finished in 51.14 seconds for a joint silver.

Singapore, a Southeast Asian island nation of less than six million, had won only two silver and two bronze medals since it joined the Olympic fold in 1948.

Schooling has been lifted to national hero status with parliament passing a motion to recognise his achievements on Monday. He is due for an open top bus parade on Thursday. He thanked Phelps for his win.

“Michael took me under his wing and ... said: ‘look you’re so young, you’ve got so much ahead of you, don’t sweat it’ and that still sticks with me ‘till today,” he told Reuters in a brief interview after the news conference. As part of its Foreign Sports Talent program, wealthy Singapore offers a S$ 1 million ($747,663) prize for gold medals. Schooling, whose parents sold their house to fund his training, according to news reports, does not have specific plans on how to spend it.

“I’ll let my mum do that, she’s good with money,” he told Reuters. He will focus on training for Tokyo instead.

“When I’m 25 I’m going to be at my peak. I’m going to be a lot stronger than I am now.”

Soaring Da Silva is Brazil’s new darling

Thiago Braz da Silva (BRA) of Brazil celebrates after setting a new Olympic record and winning the gold medal - REUTERS

Reuters: Thiago da Silva won Brazil’s first athletics gold of their home Games on an extraordinary, unforgettable Monday night in Rio, producing an Olympic record of 6.03 meters in the pole vault to beat hot favorite Renaud Lavillenie and send the fans into raptures.

A roar to match anything from Sunday’s 100 meters final - produced by a crowd a quarter of the size - accompanied the 22-year-old as he sailed over the bar, leaving the French world record holder and defending champion one more chance to beat him.

Lavillenie failed and Brazil had a new, and totally unexpected, hero and their first male athletics gold medal winner since Joaquim Cruz won the 800 meters in 1984.

“The gold - incredible,” said Da Silva, who came into the Games with a best of 5.93. “My first time over six meters. My home town wanted me to win.

“The crowd were cheering me too much. I had to fix my mind on my technique, forget the people.”

There had already been drama aplenty on a night dogged by heavy rain that caused a brief suspension of action.

David Rudisha and Shaunae Miller showed that there are different ways to cross the line first, but their gold medals will be the same after thrilling 800 and 400 meters finals.

Kenya’s Rudisha, who won the 800m in world record style four years ago, delivered a dominant last lap, striding home majestically to become the first man since New Zealander Peter Snell in 1964 to successfully defend the 800m title.

Bahamian Miller, conversely, was tying up desperately but hurled herself across the line, crashing to the track in the process, to just get the nod ahead of American Allyson Felix.

There were also golds for Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk, with a world record in the women’s hammer and 19-year-old Ruth Jebet of Bahrain via Kenya in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase.

After the drama of Usain Bolt on Sunday, it looked as if the combination of a poor crowd and heavy rain would produce a flat atmosphere just 24 hours later.

Focus of attention

The pole vault, so often the forgotten event of athletics as it chugs on relentlessly in the background with all the attention on the track, gradually became the prime focus when the crowd realized that the man in green kept clearing.

One by one Da Silva’s rivals dropped off but the odds were still stacked heavily in favor of Lavillenie, whose world record of 6.16m meant his final attempt at 6.08 was well within range, despite two failures at 6.03.

Brazilians may have been criticized for not being the most sophisticated athletics fans in the world but they knew what was going on enough to take the roof off the Olympic Stadium when the Frenchman failed - though he was unimpressed by their booing as he made his preparations.

“There was no fair play from the public,” Lavillenie said. “It is for football, not track and field.

“For the Olympics it is not a good image. I did nothing to the Brazilians.”