Joseph Schooling is once again the talk of the town. Unfortunately, not for the same reasons in 2016…

… Just give the man some time to breathe and sort his thoughts out.

But when the dust has settled, I echo the sentiments by Gerard Wong in his CNA piece:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/joseph-schooling-tokyo-olympics-race-heats-15339062

Especially this…

Was it because he had to leave the University of Texas in 2018 to return to Singapore after graduation?

Texas is one of the kings of swimming at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or collegiate level and it provided Schooling the platform to constantly train with and compete against some of the best swimmers in the US.

So, was it because Singapore could not provide the same level of intensive training and competition? Let’s face it — he was the only Olympic champion training alongside SEA Games-level teammates.

Was that why he had to return to the US in February last year to reunite with his former coach Sergio Lopez, who is coaching at Virginia Tech University?

Or did life, with all its attractions, challenges and pitfalls, start getting in the way for Schooling after his Rio triumph, after all those years of cocooned disciplined and intensive training in Florida, and then in Houston, that paved the way for his Olympic glory?

I’m rooting for Schooling. But it’s AAR time. That’s how he’ll get better.