Tokyo Olympics: Joseph Schooling finishes last in 100m butterfly heat, title defence over

Name: More Olympic medal hopes for Hong Kong as swimmer Siobhan Haughey storms into 100m freestyle final
Uploaded: 2021-07-29T11:43:29.000Z
Duration: 3 min 54 s
Description: More Olympic medal hopes for Hong Kong as swimmer Siobhan Haughey storms into 100m freestyle final

Singapore swim star, who beat childhood idol American Michael Phelps to win gold at Rio 2016, clocks 53.12 seconds

American world-record holder Caeleb Dressel equals Schooling’s Olympic record in his heat

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Joseph Schooling in action at Tokyo 2020. Photo: Reuters

Patrick Blennerhassett

Published: 7:43pm, 29 Jul 2021Updated: 9:57pm, 29 Jul 2021

Joseph Schooling’s hopes of defending his Olympic 100m butterfly title are over after the Singapore swim star clocked 53.12 seconds to finish last in his Tokyo 2020 heat on Thursday evening.

The 26-year-old’s time was not good enough to qualify for the semi-finals, with American world-record holder Caeleb Dressel equalling Schooling’s Olympic record in his heat (50.39) at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

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More Olympic medal hopes for Hong Kong as swimmer Siobhan Haughey storms into 100m freestyle final

Schooling, who swam in the fifth of eight heats and finished 44th out of the 55 competitors overall, told reporters he felt “flat” before his race.

“It’s definitely not a fitness issue,” he said, adding: “I definitely don’t want it [his career] to end like this.”

Joseph Schooling’s Tokyo 2020 dream is over. Photo: EPA

Schooling had shocked the world five years ago, claiming gold at Rio 2016 by beating his childhood idol Michael Phelps in the final.