A lot has been written about this young athlete but here are some facts you might not know about Tatler's June 2021 cover star
Joseph Isaac Schooling is arguably one of Singapore's most successful and notable athletes. After winning Singapore’s first and only Olympic gold in 2016, he shot to instant fame and very quickly became one of the country's darlings.
Related: Joseph Schooling on Defending His Olympic Gold and Life After Swimming
Since his big win, Schooling has participated in a number of swimming competitions including the 2019 SEA Games where he was beat by his teammate, Darren Chua in the men's 100m freestyle. Schooling took home second place at the competition and faced a lot of criticism about him losing his edge.
Schooling has since been preparing for the Tokyo Olympics which were supposed to be held in 2020 but has been postponed to 2021 in light of the pandemic. Covid-19 essentially bought him an extra year of preparing for the competition which Schooling is certainly grateful for considering the many changes he has had to face with the closure of pools and having to leave the United States to come back to Singapore when the borders closed.
This month, Schooling is the cover star of Tatler's June 2021 issue and it's safe to say we were excited to catch up with the young athlete. But first, keep reading to find out everything you didn't know about him.
Related: Joseph Schooling Launches His Very Own Skincare Brand, JS Orphic
1. He was awarded $1 million for his Olympic gold medal
Did you know that when Schooling beat the famous Michael Phelps in the 2016 Rio Olympics and took home the Olympic gold medal, he was also awarded S$1 million?
The reward for winning a gold medal at the Olympic gold is S$1 million under the Singapore National Olympic Council's Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme. While student-athletes are not allowed to accept prize money according to rules by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, it does not apply to foreign athletes such as Schooling.
Since his big win, Schooling has also received many endorsements and commercial deals with huge brands such as Hugo Boss and Tag Heuer.