No fried carrot cake for Schooling, as he works to get back to winning ways
Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling has banished oily and fatty food from his diet ahead of the Asian Games.
SINGAPORE — Olympic swimming champion Joseph Schooling loves his black “chye tow kueh” (fried carrot cake), and his favourite place for it is Bee Bee Carrot Cake at Marine Terrace Market and Hawker Centre.
So much so the hawker stall in the Marine Parade neighbourhood saw sales soar after Schooling won Singapore’s first Olympic gold at Rio de Janeiro, and especially after he made a stop there during his victory parade two years ago.
Now that the United States-based swimmer is back in town during his summer break from school, he is not going to head there for his favourite meal though.
Looking leaner and fitter, the 22-year-old said that he has banished oily and fatty food from his diet ahead of the Asian Games, which will be held in Indonesia from Aug 18 to Sep 2.
His determination and resolve to recapture his racing form has surprised even himself, and the University of Texas senior told TODAY that he is “pretty motivated” and ready to pluck himself out from his post-Rio Olympics blues.
After his gold medal triumph in Brazil, Schooling had set himself a goal of beating American legend Michael Phelps’ 100m butterfly world record of 49.82 seconds. He finished third at last year’s World Championships as former Bolles School teammate Caeleb Dressel swept seven gold medals in Budapest.
In March, Schooling did not medal in his final National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) campaign, as Dressel stole the show with four gold medals and two NCAA and American records.
In his first media interviews on Wednesday (May 23) since turning professional after the NCAAs, Schooling told TODAY that he is still trying to figure out what happened then.
“I was training the best I’ve ever trained, even before the Olympics. (My coach) Eddie Reese was giving us a lot of harder training sets than what we’re usually accustomed to,” he said.
“Sometimes, that’s how sports is. Sometimes, you think you prepare your best for it and the outcome isn’t what you want. It’s okay as long as you brush it off, you learn your mistakes and you come back and perform at a high level at the next meet.
“I know how good I can be. I know my potential, I know what I can do. As long as I keep trusting the process and keep working hard, I don’t need to prove anything to myself.”
A pep talk with American legend Michael Phelps while attending the One Championship event last week also gave the younger swimmer a much-needed mental boost.
“He gave me some advice… Everyone goes through your struggles, even great players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth. Don’t let a few sub-par performances discourage you, keep trusting the process, keep hammering away, keep being focused and the results will come as long as you stay on that path.”
‘TRYING TOO HARD’
While Schooling had previously targeted three gold medals at the upcoming Asian Games, he is more cautious now. He will also be taking on extra duties in Jakarta by competing in the relay events.
Having won a gold, silver and bronze in 2014, he said: “My goal for Asian Games is to do my best for the country, bring glory to Singapore and help out the younger kids… I’m super excited, particularly for the relays.”
Schooling is also feeling “a lot happier, a lot more chill” as he heads into the Asian Games and leaves his struggles in the past year behind.
“I felt like last year, I was trying too hard to rediscover that exact same feeling of how I felt before the Olympics. I’ve come to terms with being in a different spot of my career.
“I got too caught up in what I did before the Olympics because it worked, but sometimes you have to change your training a little bit, try something new so your body adapts, you get better and on to the next level... The past few months, I’ve been coming to terms with that.”
(Above) Schooling is training with the Singapore Swimming Association coaches till the Asian Games, before returning to Texas to complete his final semester of school.
Schooling will be training here with the Singapore Swimming Association’s team of coaches and officials at the OCBC Aquatics Centre till the Asian Games, before returning to Texas to train with Reese and complete his final semester of school.
On Friday, he is engaged to officiate the reopening of the Hugo Boss store at Marina Bay Sands, and will join Avengers: Infinity War stars Chris Hemsworth and Sebastian Stan at the red carpet event.
Schooling was named the Singaporean ambassador of the German luxury brand in March, with Hugo Boss launching a limited edition collection to inaugurate the partnership. Fifteen per cent of the proceeds from the collection will go towards the Schooling Sports Academy, which aims to raise the level of sports in Singapore and support aspiring athletes in their pursuit of sporting excellence.
He also recently signed a three-year, seven-figure commercial deal with DBS, which will see him working with the bank on a series of community events and social media engagements.
GOING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
The swimmer is not thinking too much about what he might do after he graduates from university in December, but as he will become a full-time athlete then, juggling sponsorship commitments with training and competitions will be key.
“It’s something new, it’s something that excites me, and balancing this aspect of my professional career with my training is definitely very time-consuming.
“But as long as you know what you want, you’re eating right, resting well, you can do both at a high level.”
With the Tokyo Olympic Games just two years away, Schooling knows he has a fight on his hands to defend his 100m butterfly crown against Dressel and South Africa’s Chad le Clos.
“I’m excited to race Caeleb, it’s always nice to have someone like Caeleb push you. Michael (Phelps) pushed me to get the way I was in Rio, and I think Caeleb is the perfect guy to push me to get to the next level in Tokyo, world championships, or the next stage of what I’m trying to do.”
Serious career pursuits aside, the Avengers devotee has a fanboy goal to fulfil this week.
He told TODAY: “I’m more excited to meet Chris Hemsworth than anyone. I love Thor, and I love all the Avengers, Iron Man and all that. It’s going to be sick, and I’m pretty pumped.”
