Joseph Schooling excited about sixth SEA Games appearance as doubts shroud future 

Singapore's superstar Joseph Schooling is excited about his swimming campaign at the 2021 SEA Games, in 2022, for what many anticipate will be for the final time.

Ahead of the competition start the 26-year-old hinted at his impending retirement, suggesting that it was only a matter of determining when he would be hanging up his googles:

“I’m going to be 27 this year, you know. Mom’s holding down the Fort and a lot of things outside the pool that’ll transition to after I’m done swimming. And right now, the question is, OK, do I assume until Paris? Or do we stop and reassess and see where we’re going to after Asian Games?” Schooling told Yahoo News Singapore.

2021 was a particularly challenging year for Singapore’s sole Olympic gold medallist.

Along with finishing 44th overall in the 100m butterfly at Tokyo 2020, where he was the defending Olympic champion, Schooling also lost his father Colin to cancer a few months later.

His father had been a staple figure throughout his swimming career, and while Schooling insists his worsening condition did not impact his own performance, he did share that he had been seeing a psychiatrist to help prepare him for the eventual loss:

“Even before the Olympics, my psychologist and I had worked on an exercise on how to deal with the death of a loved one,” Schooling explained to Yahoo. “But separately, I worked with her on preparing for scenarios that may happen at the Games.

“This sounds very morbid, but at that level of competition, you need to prepare for everything.”

In January 2022 the swimmer was then enlisted into mandatory national service having been granted deferment since 2014 to train for Rio 2016 and Tokyo. The new chapter in his life has left Schooling unsure if he can still commit to the demands of his sport:

“If this schedule persists, I don’t think I can make it to 2024,” the Olympic gold medallist continued to Yahoo. “But can I make it to Asian Gmes under these circumstances? Yeah, be a push, but, you know, anything’s possible.”

Should this be the last SEA Games Schooling attends the 2016 Olympic champion will be sure to make it one to remember.

Since his debut at the event in 2011, the Singaporean has amassed 31 medals, including 27 gold in his five appearances, highlighting his credentials as tour de force in the water.

SEA Games 2021: Joseph Schooling schedule

Schooling will be competing in a collection of events at the SEA Games in Vietnam.

As well as mounting his defence of the men’s 50m butterfly, he will also be in action in the men’s 100m butterfly and the men’s 200m butterfly. It is also expected he will compete in the relays where he has medalled in the past with Singapore.

Below, is a list of the events with their start times:

Sunday 15 May

• Men’s 50m Butterfly Heat Rounds – 09:00
• Men’s 50m Butterfly Final Round – 18:00

Monday 16 May

• Men’s 100m Butterfly Heat Rounds – 09:00
• Men’s 4x100m Medley Heat Rounds – 09:00
• Men’s 100m Butterfly Find Round – 18:00
• Men’s 4x100m Medley Final Round – 18:00

Tuesday 17 May

• Men’s 4x200 Freestyle Relay Heat Rounds – 09:00
• Men’s 4x200 Freestyle Relay Final Round – 18:00

Thursday 19 May

• Men’s 200m Butterfly Heat Rounds – 09:00
• Men’s 200m Butterfly Final Round – 18:00

How to watch Joseph Schooling at SEA Games Vietnam

To watch Singapore’s swim star in action in Hanoi you can find live streaming and highlights on the SEA Games 21 Viet Nam 2021 YouTube channel, and on the official SEA Games 2021 Facebook page. Some geo-restrictions may apply.

You can also follow all the action, including live updates, news and exclusive interviews on Olympics.com and across our social channels: @Olympics.