Iconic Swimmer Who Defeated Michael Phelps at 21, Faces Shocking Suspension After Making a Bad Judgement

Michael Phelps is famous for his unbelievable record of having the most number of Olympic medals. With 28 Olympic medals to his name, he is the most decorated Olympian in the history of the games. Throughout his Olympics career, he was unbeaten in the 100m butterfly event until Rio 2016.

Michael Phelps is famous for his incredible style and never give up attitude. His comeback in the Rio Olympics stunned the world, and he proved himself to be one of the greatest swimmers of his generation.

Michael Phelps was ousted at Rio

The critics claimed that Phelps was too old to compete, but he proved otherwise. Michael Phelps put forward a record-breaking medal-winning performance at the Rio Olympics. He proved all his critics wrong. But he was ousted in one event in which he was unbeaten for 4 Olympics.

Michael Phelps was stunned by a young swimmer from Singapore. Joseph Schooling, who was just 21 back in 2016, stunned Phelps to clinch the victory in the 100-meter butterfly. Schooling bettered Phelps’ Olympic record of 50.58 seconds by completing the race in 50.39 seconds.

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In 2016, 50.39 seconds was Joseph’s personal best, a national record, an Asian record, and the fastest time then-recorded in a 100-meter butterfly. Joseph Schooling had become a national hero in Singapore. He was awarded S$1 million for undergoing further training for future events.

The star swimmer was suspended

Joseph Schooling could not defend his title at the Tokyo Olympics. He failed to qualify for the finals after finishing 8th in his semi-final heat. Recently, the swimmer was back in the news. This time it was not for his swimming performance but because of his suspension from the sport. The iconic swimmer who defeated Phelps when he was just 21 was suspended for making a bad judgment. He admitted to having consumed marijuana while training in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced that he was no longer allowed to take leave from his military service to train or compete on counts of abusing his ‘disruption privileges’. Schooling apologized to the people for setting a bad example and said, “I gave in to a moment of weakness after going through a very tough period of my life.”  

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Do you think Joseph will bounce back from the setback? Let us know in the comments.