SINGAPORE - After over two decades of grit and grind, Singapore’s first and only Olympic champion Joseph Schooling is ready to embark on the next chapter of his life, saying that “it’s my turn to be a normal guy”.

The 28-year-old swimmer announced his retirement on social media on April 2 before hosting a media session at the Chinese Swimming Club later in the morning.

In a cosy setting at the club’s grand ballroom that resembled a Chinese wedding dinner, he came ready to talk about his decision and future, saying: “No question is off limits, let’s have fun.”

Looking fit in a black polo shirt and cream-coloured pants, he admitted that “emotions were running high” as he addressed questions about his career, national service (NS) and cannabis use.

Among the audience of about 50 people were his mother May and girlfriend Ashley Bei – a Singaporean Eurasian in her 20s.

Revealing how he knew he was ready for retirement, Schooling said: “I still remember when I was four years old, I used to be so excited, hopping into an unreasonably freezing pool. Fast forward to where we are today. I woke up not feeling the same excitement to go to practice, I did not enjoy the grind anymore.”

Instead, going into the office with his mother was where he “started feeling that same sense of excitement again”.

He will be busy with his venture capital project with two partners, his swim school Sports Schooling, charity work and assisting May at her trading company.

Reflecting on her son’s journey from boy to champion, which saw him leaving Singapore at 14 for The Bolles School in Florida, May said: “When we first went to the States, there was a time when he came to me and said his friends were going surfing or rollerblading. So, I said, ‘Next week, you’ve got a regional, so do you think you should go?’ He said, ‘Yah better not.’

“He was disciplined by himself. I didn’t have to force him.”

It was in the United States that he blossomed and, two years later, he won the men’s 50m and 200m butterfly golds in his SEA Games debut.

He continued to plunder medals in the pool, becoming the first Singapore swimmer to finish on the podium at the Commonwealth Games and the world championships.

He was also named Sportsman of the Year a record six times.

But it was his stunning performance at Rio 2016 that captured the imagination of Singaporeans and the world when he beat the legendary Michael Phelps to win gold in the men’s 100m butterfly final in a then Olympic record time of 50.39 seconds.

Schooling said: “There is no reason why a person half a foot shorter than everyone else in the Olympic final should be where I am today; physiologically, it was unlikely.

“But yet, here we are. So, I hope young kids and parents can draw some inspiration, confidence and comfort in knowing that the impossible is actually possible.”

Citing how his parents mortgaged their house to send him to the US, he hopes Singaporeans can “challenge the traditional career pathways... and do things we ourselves are proud of”.

His journey was riddled with challenges and controversy.

Sandwiching his crowning moment at Rio 2016 were his first and final Olympics in 2012 and 2021. He finished last in his heat in the 200m butterfly in London 2012 after his goggles and cap were not on the list of approved equipment, and suffered the same fate in Tokyo 2020 due to poor form.

He also had to cope with the death of his father Colin in November 2021, and a year later, he was embroiled in a drug scandal after he and fellow swimmers Teong Tzen Wei and Amanda Lim admitted to consuming cannabis overseas.

Admitting that he “regretted putting my loved ones and my family through all the angst and the scrutiny”, he also opened up about his struggles in NS, calling basic military training “one of the hardest three months of my life”.

Schooling, who enlisted in January 2022, said: “When I went in, I had a really negative mindset about being taken out after the Olympics to adjust to this new way of life.

“You just gotta roll with it, you don’t fight the tide, you swim with it. As Singaporean males, this is something we all have to do. So, you either come to terms with that or you are going to have a really hard time.

“Can we do things better? Yes. But no, NS did not end my career. I ended it on my own terms.”

News of Schooling’s retirement made global headlines on April 2 as wire news agency Reuters, United States’ NBC News and The Japan Times reported on it. It also triggered an outpouring of tributes from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Singapore’s political leaders.

President Tharman said in a social media post: “Few dream of making it to the Olympics. Even fewer can dream of winning a gold and breaking the Olympics record, like Joseph Schooling did. But what Joseph did was show us what it means to have the hunger to excel. To go beyond what others think we are capable of. And to make our own dreams, big or small, come true.”

Commenting on Schooling’s Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “Thank you for flying our flag high. All the best for your next chapter!”

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong wrote on social media: “Joseph has shown us that it is possible to pursue a different pathway, one based on our own purpose and interests, take pride in it, and excel at the highest levels... He made the impossible possible and became our first Olympic champion.”

With Schooling the swimmer now retired, he does not rule out a career in politics.

When asked by The Straits Times, a beaming Schooling said: “Never say never, but for now I am focused on playing golf, my venture capital, my swim school and helping out mum at the office.

“It’s my turn to be a normal guy.”

And after fielding questions from the media, it was time for breakfast with a local spread of nasi lemak, roti prata, soya bean and fruits. Notably absent was Schooling’s favourite fried carrot cake, but he will now have more time to indulge.