‘Golden boy’ returns: Joseph Schooling is mobbed on his triumphant return to Singapore
Hundreds pack into Singapore’s Changi Airport as the 21-year-old returns from Rio de Janeiro with an Olympic gold medal around his neck
It was a photo taken with Michael Phelps that inspired Joseph Schooling to Olympic gold. So when he was mobbed by fans on his return to Singapore, he made sure he posed for a few.
Hundreds packed Singapore’s Changi Airport as the 21-year-old Schooling returned from Rio de Janeiro with an Olympic gold medal around his neck on Monday. He beat his idol in the 100-metre butterfly to deliver the first ever Olympic gold medal for the city-state of 5.54 million.
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“Definitely the highlight of my life,” he told the crowd. “Thank you everyone for coming. This (gold) is not for me. This is for everyone. Thank you guys.”
Schooling, who attends the University of Texas, will spend four days celebrating in events in Singapore, including an open-top parade.
“I wanted to see the golden boy,” the 17-year-old Sim said as he clutched a pair of red swimming trunks that he hoped to get autographed. “Watching the moment live on television left me excited and happy. My family was screaming.”