At every stage of the 100m race, Schooling delivered.
His reaction time, his turn and his last 25m ensured defending Olympic champion Michael Phelps and the other big names in the pool were no match for him.
This is how he made Singapore sporting history.
On his race, Schooling said: "I just tried to stick to my game plan, knew I would be out fast. It was all about how much heart you had coming home, trying to get your hand on the wall first and thankfully I could."
National coach Sergio Lopez always knew Schooling had it in him.
“He knew he had a chance. His goal was to break the race. I feel very proud. He believes in himself. He learnt not to hesitate, he knew he could do it," said Lopez.
Schooling broke the pre-super suit world record
11 years ago, Ian Crocker from the US completed the 100m fly in 50.40sec and set a world record that wasn’t broken until July 2009 by Michael Phelps who clocked 50.22sec. Phelps broke the world record again a month later, bringing it down to 49.82sec which remains unbroken.
However, both times he was using a Speedo LZR racer suit which has since been banned because of its material.
This means Schooling’s time of 50.39sec was a sporting feat not even Phelps has yet been able to achieve.
Off the blocks
He was further into his dive than Michael Phelps and Li Zhuhao, although on his other side Chad le Clos had the same reaction time as Schooling.
Phelps: 0.70sec
Li: 0.70sec
Schooling: 0.61sec
le Clos: 0.61sec
Phelps: 0.70sec
Li: 0.70sec
Schooling: 0.61sec
le Clos: 0.61sec
Phelps: 0.70sec
Li: 0.70sec
Schooling: 0.61sec
The last 25m
In the final 25m, he was 0.57sec behind breaking the world record set by Michael Phelps in 2009, although Phelps was using a since banned Speedo LZR racer suit.
Phelps
Li
Schooling
le Clos
Phelps
Li
Schooling
le Clos
Phelps
Li
Schooling
le Clos
Breaking the Olympic record
Phelps formerly held the Olympic record of 50.58sec for the 100m fly set in Beijing 2008. Schooling broke it by 0.19sec.
Olympic record: 50.58sec, Michael Phelps, Beijing 2008
Schooling
Olympic record: 50.58sec, Michael Phelps, Beijing 2008
Schooling
Olympic record: 50.58sec
Schooling
The historic podium
Not only did Schooling achieve the impossible on Saturday morning (Aug 13) by winning Singapore’s first Olympic gold and breaking the Olympic, Asian and national records - he relegated some of the biggest names in swimming to second-place on the podium.
Long-time competitors and multiple Olympic medallists Michael Phelps, Chad le Clos and Laszlo Cseh held hands as they stepped onto the podium to accept their silver medals.
How Schooling’s new Olympic record compares
Schooling’s time of 50.39sec would have landed him gold in all four past Olympic Games, even eclipsing the record-breaking performance of Phelps in the 100m final at the Beijing 2008 Games.
Since London 2012, the 21-year-old Singaporean has made impressive bounds in his personal bests. Since his first Olympic Games, where he clocked 53.63sec for the 100m fly in his heats, he has managed to shave 3.24sec off his time.
Congratulations to Joseph Schooling. He was a winner right from the moment he took his first dive into the pool.
Read more:Schooling's explosive start, sticking to his game plan, the key to gold-medal victory
