43 swimmers qualified.
Of the eight who remain,
one is the gold-plated icon...
Michael Phelps takes lane number two.
And one is from Singapore.
He's 21 years of age. He's been so impressive.
Will Joseph Schooling be left in the wake
of the swimming legend he idolized as a child?
Or can one Olympian stun the world
by swimming his way to the top of the podium
and bring tears to the eyes of a grateful nation?
Wait for it.
It's me, Olympic gymnast
and recreational swimmer, Nile Wilson.
The entire nation of Singapore is watching
as Joseph Schooling tries to butterfly his way
to the country's first gold medal.
Wait for it.
Being surrounded by water, Colin and May Schooling
knew it would be good for their only son to know how to swim.
It wasn't long before his coaches
could see the little guy was dripping with talent.
When Joseph was still a wee guppy,
his great uncle told him about a very special event,
the Olympic Games.
And he knew how special.
He was Singapore's first athlete
to compete at the Games in 1948.
As the story goes, Joseph told his parents,
"I want to go to the Olympics."
They politely smiled and thought,
"His interest for swimming will soon dry up."
You stop running! Please stop running!
They were wrong.
And their doubts quickly turned into support.
Joseph soon heard about another kid ten years older
making some serious waves in the Olympic Games.
An idol to so many, including himself.
His name was Michael Phelps.
That "kid" won 8 medals at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games
and quickly became an idol to many young swimmers,
including Joseph.
It is a pressure to be the fastest qualifier.
Particularly when he looks around him.
Who's swimming alongside him?
Wait for it.
Joseph couldn't comprehend that one day
he may compete against his idol.
In the weeks leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games,
the US team had a layover in Singapore
on their way to Beijing.
And they happened to train in which pool?
Yep.
The 13-year-old couldn't believe
he had crossed lanes with his idol.
Not a month later, the swimming legend made history
and picked up eight gold medals at the Olympics.
Joseph's obsession to be like Mike went into overdrive.
By the next year, Joseph had become
a big fish in a tiny Singapore pond.
By the next year, Joseph's family pooled their resources
and off he went to Florida to high school
to train with the best of the best.
Their strategy worked.
By 2012, the teen had qualified
for the Olympic Games in London.
But Joseph faced a stumbling block
before he even got off the starting block.
Issues with his goggles sunk his dreams for a medal
faster than a golden anchor.
He was crushed.
But he always remembered what a sympathetic Phelps told him.
"Keep your head high and just keep moving forward."
Wait for it.
Joseph did keep his head high.
And four years later, the two would meet again in Rio.
Not as a fan, not as an idol,
but as rivals.
Joseph's proud mum was in the stands,
but unfortunately, his dad was under the weather
and couldn't make the trip to Rio.
So he called his son before the big race
to give him one last bit of advice,
"Stun the world."
The world was expecting to be stunned...
By Phelps swimming away his 4th consecutive gold medal
in the 100-meter butterfly.
It was just after 9AM the next day in Singapore when,
every time Joseph's head broke the surface to take a breath,
5.39 million Singaporeans held theirs.
Including Joseph's dad, who was transfixed,
watching his son swimming for a place in history.
And it's still Schooling.
And he's a body length clear almost.
Can he hold on?
We were hoping to see history in the pool, but we are!
History, because Singapore has won an Olympic gold medal
in an Olympic record time.
As his mum went crazy in the stands,
his dad finally exhaled.
So did the rest of Singapore.
The newly-minted champion
simply gave credit to his childhood hero.
Saying, "If it wasn't for Michael,
I don't think I could have got to this point."
It was a real thrill to swim against Michael
and all those guys, you know?
I'm really honored to be able to swim in an Olympic final.
Huge respect to all of them. That was sick, that was crazy.
Imagine a universe where 13-year-old Joseph
never crossed lanes with the mighty Phelps.
That small encounter
was the key to a massive Olympic moment.
And that, my friends, is the butterfly effect.
This chapter of Olympic history may be closing.
But with many years of competing still ahead,
who knows how many young Singaporeans
will be inspired to stun the world?
But for now, you'll just have to wait for it.
I'm back for another video.
I'm doing synchronized swimming.
Okay, cut.