Life after Rio Olympics: 10 things to know about Joseph Schooling

Singapore's golden boy returned to Singapore for a week on Nov 18 and his schedule looks packed back-to-back with activities.

While he is set to make one public appearance practically daily, Joseph Schooling is primarily here for a golf fund-raiser organised by the Singapore Swimming Association.

Amid the 21-year-old's busy schedule, AsiaOne caught up with him for an exclusive interview last Friday while he was doing a fitting for a suit at the Hugo Boss boutique in Ngee Ann City.

The swim star was visibly tired after a long flight home from the United States where his is studying in Texas, but he was still in good spirits and managed a smile at anyone he met along the way.

His trip back home is a short one but Schooling has plans of his own too. He told AsiaOne that he would like to spend more time with his parents, and eat as much local food as he can so that he wouldn't have to crave it for another year.

How has life changed for the sporting hero since winning the gold medal for the 100m butterfly event at the 2016 Rio Olympics? What are his thoughts on style and dressing? Does he have a girlfriend? We find out.

Q: Do you like dressing up?

I don't really dress up for school, it's pretty casual. I just wear work-out clothes like T-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes. I don't wear this (the suit he was wearing during the interview) to class. This is for travel meets, nice dinners, events, functions. Dressing up once in a while is pretty cool, but dressing up every day? I don't know if I could do that yet.

Q: How do you usually get your suits done? Do you have problems fitting into off-the-rack suits with your swimmer frame?

I definitely have an abnormal body. My shoulders are way bigger than my torso or my waist. I definitely have to get my suits tailored.

I've never had a custom-made suit before. This Boss experience has been pretty insane. I've never had a suit that has so much detail put into it. So this is pretty neat. I'm loving it. The tailors are great.

Q: Picking the right suit can be a hard decision. How does this compare with other decisions you've made in life?

I'd put it almost on par as me choosing to go to the US when I was 13 years old - that's definitely one of the hardest decisions we've made as a family. I'm happy that I went. Obviously, it paid off 8 years later. I couldn't ask for more.

Q: How has life changed since winning gold at the Olympics?

I'd be lying if I said my life didn't take a huge turn or didn't change drastically. Although there are a lot of changes externally, I like to keep my core, my fundamentals the same. So I like to keep close friends close, I keep my parents close. But as for how my life has changed...definitely a lot more attention, everything's more upbeat, more interesting, faster tempo, more expectations. Good and bad, but I'm enjoying the ride.

Q: Do you feel more pressure now since you've set the bar so high for yourself?

Not really. I don't really feel pressure. (For) one, it's nice to be 10,000 miles away from the centre of everything. Two, it's really nice training with world-class swimmers, (a) world-class coach, one of the best facilities in the world, and with a place that really has a winning mentality like UT (University of Texas). So I'm in a good spot right now. I've got a good support system. I've got good people around me that I can lean on, so no pressure. It's their job to take the pressure off and they are doing a good job at it. My job is just to swim - that's it.

Q: Do you get special treatment from people now?

I wouldn't say I get special treatment. The politically right answer would be 'no', I'm a normal kid and I just want to go on and do my own thing. I'd just say people are supportive and I'm really appreciative of that.

Q: What is one thing you can't live without, and why?

I always need goals so that I can motivate myself. I could never live without having a goal ahead of me. For example, in the pool I need to know what my next goal is.

So after Rio I went back to practice without having a goal in mind, going through the motions, and I was really unmotivated. I didn't want to be there. I wanted to do other things like have fun. As soon as I figured out what my next goal was - that's to break the world record in 100m fly. I felt way more motivated and I had a reason to go to practice. I had something to work towards.

Q: What do you plan to do when you retire?

Right now, I'm studying Economics and plugging a minor in Finance so I want to go towards wealth management, investment banking, somewhere along those lines. I'm not too sure yet but that's like the goal for after-swimming jobs.

(On retirement): Oh when I'm 70? That's kind of scary. That's a long way from now. I'm very content with being 21. 21 is a great age.

Q: Are the rumours about a girlfriend true?

No, they are definitely not true. I don't have a girlfriend. I'm very single. You can ask my buddy Tripp - he'll definitely vouch for me. But no, I'm as single as you can be.

Q: What do you look for in a girlfriend or a future partner?

I'd have to be physically attracted to her, first of all. I like a nice smile, pretty eyes and I guess everything follows suit from there. But then if I wanted to date a girl, I'd have to connect with her on more than a physical level. After a while looks don't really matter. It's whether I can have a good conversation with her, whether she has good morals, (and a) good upbringing. If it happens, it happens. If it (doesn't) happen, then (it) doesn't really matter.

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Read also: Joseph Schooling on racing: I'd like to think I can beat everyone

maryanns@sph.com.sg