SINGAPORE – Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling encouraged others to chase their dreams, no matter how unattainable they may seem, as he was formally inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame on July 28. The 30-year-old swimmer made history as the first Singaporean to receive the honour, joining an elite group that includes swimming legends like 23-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps and Chinese diving great Fu Mingxia.
Schooling, who famously defeated his idol Phelps to win the 100m butterfly at the 2016 Rio Olympics—securing Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold—spoke about his journey at the ceremony held at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay. “I’m extremely humbled and honoured to be able to stand up here today to collect this award. At the end of the day, it’s about the journey. And there were times where I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I didn’t know if I was going to succeed. Being up here is a real surreal moment, but I hope this goes to show that anyone can do it. It doesn’t matter what country you are from or what you do, but if you have a dream, dare to dream and get after it,” he said.
Schooling retired in April 2024 after a decorated career that included two world championship bronze medals, three Asian Games titles, and 29 SEA Games golds. His induction marks a significant milestone for Singapore in the international sporting arena.
Eleven inductees from nine countries were honoured this year, with Singapore, Kuwait, India, and Tunisia represented for the first time. Other swimmers inducted alongside Schooling include Americans Anthony Ervin and Ryan Lochte, and Italy’s Federica Pellegrini. The class of inductees also features Tunisian open water swimmer Ous Mellouli, Hungarian water polo player Endre Molnar, Spanish artistic swimmer Andrea Fuentes, Chinese diver Chen Ruolin, US Olympic coach Gregg Troy, World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam, and the late Indian swimmer Sachin Nag.
The International Swimming Hall of Fame, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a non-profit institution officially recognised by World Aquatics as the global archive for aquatic sports history.