DESPAIR IS NOT AN OPTION
Schooling’s legacy as Singapore’s first (and only) Olympic champ is secure but, hopefully, there won’t be an unhappy footnote to this crowning achievement. He must now look ahead and redeem himself. Despair is not an option.
There is no alternative to bouncing back, for the alternatives are too disconcerting to contemplate for the nation’s sporting idol.
If Schooling can make good and bounce back – even in non-sporting ways – then his having fallen way short will just be a blip in the larger scheme of things.
As a nation, we are now more accepting of shortcomings and failures; we might even be indulgent towards personalities like Schooling, recognising that coping with being in the spotlight and public expectations can be way too much to handle.
For a young country starved of sporting success on the world stage, Singapore had lionised and feted Schooling for his sensational victory in the 100m butterfly event.
He was conferred the prestigious Meritorious Service Medal (Pingat Jasa Gemilang) for his Rio Olympics achievement, where he beat American swimming legend Michael Phelps to win Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal and establish a new Olympic record in the process.