“I want gold”.
That was what Joseph Schooling declared just before he won the Olympic gold for Singapore in 2016. And oh, what a win! He was then the fastest Olympian in the pool. And he had finally put this little red dot on the world map (and record) with that shimmering gold. Even Michael Phelps bowed out with respect after 24 years leading the champion’s crown and went contentedly into retirement. Alas, that was a record-making feat five years ago.
I still recall what Schooling said after the gold. “This moment is not about me, it’s about my coaches, my friends, my family...This swim wasn’t for me, it was for my country.” It was a time even parliament rejoiced with a standing ovation. And the nation celebrated with these words from PM Lee: “The motion will be formal recognition of his achievements by Parliament.”
But five years have gone by since then, and Tokyo Olympics is so different from Rio’s. At Rio, we welcomed home a champion. This time, this round, Schooling is coming home without any medal around his neck. He didn’t make it in the heat in the men’s 100m butterfly swim on Thursday.
His timing of 53.12 secs was way off from that golden touchdown of 50.39 secs five years ago. And even that record was beaten, with Caeleb Dressel clocking in 49.71 secs in the semi-finals.
Indeed the tide for champions is evolving and once the whistle blows, you either swim or sink. That is the sports of winners in the Olympic, or for any competition, right?
The reality is, when you put yourself out there, whether in wet or on dry lane, you will be judged. Winning and losing is all about judgment, that is, judgment of and by yourself against a gruelling, demanding standard for the gold, and judgment by others pining for you, for whatever reasons, noble or otherwise, against another standard called human expectations for the win.
That is how competitions are geared or wound up. You don’t join the heat and represent a nation if you do not have what it takes. For when you run, the nation runs with you. When you swim, it swims with you. And when you dive, it dives with you. You thus carry the Olympic torch and heartbeat of a nation with you, and that’s pressure enough for one person, with a heavy weight on his/her shoulder
Having said that, and after Thursday, one is tempted to ask, does Schooling still have what it takes? Can he win again? Is the Olympic lane closing in on him, who is already 26 years old?
Well, you could say (counterfactually) that if he had won the gold in Tokyo, ultimately that is, he would have been hailed by the millions whose faith and hope were well placed on his shoulders. But, what then is the runner up’s consolation (or the one who had missed the mark)?
Indeed, we all love a winner. We live vicariously for them, riding on the coattails of his or her win. We can proudly declare that we have a champion, even for the many who doesn’t know the champion personally. There is just a high-scaling moment of togetherness and pride when someone like Schooling walks up to the highest podium with the Singapore flag waving behind him.
And maybe, that’s the issue for some of us for the longest time. Admittedly, it’s just part of human nature or our make up. For what is glaringly visible is that 50 or more secs in the pool, and nothing is ever seen of the 50 or more months away from it. We don’t see the sweat that gets wash away every time athletics like Schooling or Yu Mengyu put their heart and soul into their consuming passion.
We do not see the tears, the fears, the pressure, the stress and the pain of training (or even defeat). For all that they have done, the hard work and sleepless nights, is condensed in that few seconds leading up to the moment when the time-keeper declares who wins or loses. Crudely speaking, the Olympic whistle either blows for you or blows you away.
If only we had seen the whole runway of an athletics’ sacrifices from the time nobody even knows he/she existed to the time he/she finally reaches the finishing line, I believe we would then intimately know that they, just like us, are humans too, trying their best and giving of their best within the constraints and restraints that they face to reach for the best.
After Thursday, as a nation converges, Schooling said: “Like before it might have been just to show to myself and show my family. But honestly, man, after all the support that is coming out, and like I said they don’t owe me anything, they didn’t have to do that, but they do anyway, that gives me something more to swim for. Maybe that is what I need.”
Well, let me just say this, who doesn’t want a hero’s welcome right? That is the icing on the cake for the sportsman or sportswoman. But, from the support Schooling got, and the ones still pouring in, that is no less a hero’s welcome, because it is not just about a win, it is about faith for the journey that is far from over, as Schooling puts it, and trust for the champion who has given us so much hope.
And for the nation, I sincerely believe we, or most of us, are not fair weather about this, but are true storm chasers - for wherever our champions are, we will be there for them, cheering them on, in spirit and soul, because just showing up is what champions are made of, from day one to day done.
Let me end with the powerful words of Schooling’s swim coach, Sergio Lopez.
“Over 10 years ago, we crossed paths in this beautiful life for something more than just being perfect. Never forget that perfection lies in the imperfection of life. Thank you for this amazing and interesting journey. Let’s keep moving forward.”
I wonder, what “something more than just being perfect” is? And I think the answer to that is the journey, the friendship, the unfailing love shown, especially Schooling’s indomitable parents, the overcoming beyond our imperfections, the enduring sacrifices and support poured out, and the faith and hope for an amazing journey. These are the things that is more than just being perfect. For they are a broken but resilient community coming together to celebrate, to congratulate, to heal, to inspire, and to encourage.
That is the summation and summit of a hero’s welcome, as we all stand together today, to welcome our champions home. For you have always done us all proud.
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