NEW CLARK City, Capas, Tarlac -- Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling says that his stay thus far in the Philippines has so far been "awesome." Schooling, who etched himself into sporting history by upsetting Michael Phelps in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the men's 100m butterfly, is in the country as Singapore's star swimmer for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
In the process, Schooling graced the newly-opened Aquatics Center with his prowess, calling the FINA-certified pool beautiful.
Just in his first day, the 24-year-old already reaped a gold medal as part of his country's 4x200m freestyle relay, besting five other countries, including the Philippines.
"It's awesome. It's amazing. There is so much energy for the relay. And I'm excited to see how everyone gets up for an individual event (Thursday), so I'm very excited for that," Schooling said.
Already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Schooling is seeing the region's largest sporting conclave as a stepping stone for the Summer Games.
"So, definitely, this is one of the stepping steps to Tokyo, and it's all about baby steps. I just need to focus on one event at a time. Good event, take away from it, bad event, just brush it aside and move forward until the next time," he told reporters.
Showered by cheers from the capacity crowd at the venue, Schooling shared his appreciation of an adoring Filipino crowd.
He added that his Filipino nanny, whom he fondly calls Auntie Yolly, is definitely proud of him despite not making it to the country.
"She's been with us since I was ten months old. So, I mean, I wish she was here today, but she had to stay home and be with my dad. So I know, she's watching on TV and it's a very proud moment for all of us."
Following his gold medal win in a group effort, Schooling now sets his sights on the individual events, which includes the 50 and 100m butterfly.
"Taking each day step-by-step and after that, make our way home. Maybe I could come back after the Olympics, but right now, what's on my mind right now is being here."
https://tv5.espn.com/story/_/id/28223600/stay-ph-awesome
In the process, Schooling graced the newly-opened Aquatics Center with his prowess, calling the FINA-certified pool beautiful.
Just in his first day, the 24-year-old already reaped a gold medal as part of his country's 4x200m freestyle relay, besting five other countries, including the Philippines.
"It's awesome. It's amazing. There is so much energy for the relay. And I'm excited to see how everyone gets up for an individual event (Thursday), so I'm very excited for that," Schooling said.
Already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Schooling is seeing the region's largest sporting conclave as a stepping stone for the Summer Games.
"So, definitely, this is one of the stepping steps to Tokyo, and it's all about baby steps. I just need to focus on one event at a time. Good event, take away from it, bad event, just brush it aside and move forward until the next time," he told reporters.
Showered by cheers from the capacity crowd at the venue, Schooling shared his appreciation of an adoring Filipino crowd.
He added that his Filipino nanny, whom he fondly calls Auntie Yolly, is definitely proud of him despite not making it to the country.
"She's been with us since I was ten months old. So, I mean, I wish she was here today, but she had to stay home and be with my dad. So I know, she's watching on TV and it's a very proud moment for all of us."
Following his gold medal win in a group effort, Schooling now sets his sights on the individual events, which includes the 50 and 100m butterfly.
"Taking each day step-by-step and after that, make our way home. Maybe I could come back after the Olympics, but right now, what's on my mind right now is being here."
https://tv5.espn.com/story/_/id/28223600/stay-ph-awesome
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