JOSEPH SCHOOLING WINS BRONZE MEDAL AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP & MAKES LOCAL HISTORY

Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling won a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly final of the FINA World Championships, breaking the national record and setting a new Asian record in the process. He is the first ever Singaporean to win a medal at the FINA World Championships.

Schooling touched the wall in 50.96s, just 0.4s short of champion Chad Le Clos of South Africa.

Schooling had this to say after his medal winning race:

“I came to the World Championships with an intention of winning a medal in any of my three individual events. I came close in the 50m, and I knew that today was my last chance…I couldn’t be happier to have won a medal on the eve of Singapore’s 50th birthday, and would like to dedicate this win to everyone who has supported and believed in me…I am delighted with my individual performance at this World Championships, and will continue to work hard towards Rio 2016.”

Before Schooling’s historic win, the closest any Singaporean got to winning a medal at the FINA World Championships is former national swimmer Ang Peng Siong when he made the men’s 50m freestyle final in 1986.