Joseph Schooling, Singapore's Olympic champion who stunned Michael Phelps, announced his retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 28.
It's chapter closed for Joseph Schooling.
The 28-year-old swimming darling for Singapore, who rose to stardom by breaking Michael Phelps' 100m butterfly record in the 2016 Rio Olympics, announced his retirement from competitive swimming.
"Today marks the beginning of a new chapter," he wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday. "I am filled with gratitude for every experience that swimming has brought into my life. The victories were exhilarating, the defeats humbling, and together, they have forged a resilience in me that I will carry forward into my next chapter."
He's not completely stepping away from the water though.
"While I am stepping away from competing, swimming will forever be a part of who I am. It has given me a platform to inspire others to chase their dreams, no matter the odds," the Singaporean athlete added.
"I am eager to explore new passions, face different challenges, and see where this next phase of life takes me. Thank you to my supporters for standing by me every step of the way. I hope you will join me as I embark on this new adventure."
Schooling made history by setting a then-Olympic record of 50.39 seconds in the men's 100m butterfly, beating his childhood hero Michael Phelp's record in 2016.
He won the gold medal in Rio, as Phelps settled for silver.
Schooling also visited the Philippines to compete in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, racking up four gold medals and two silvers.
He won gold in the men's 100m butterfly, the 4x100m freestyle relay, the 4x200m freestyle relay, and the 4x100m medley relay.
Schooling then settled for silver in the men's 50m butterfly against countryman Teong Tzen Wei, as well as in the 100m freestyle to Singapore's Darren Chua.
He certainly had some fun though.
It was certainly a treat to see the Philippine men's swimming team share the podium with Singapore.
Schooling described his stay in the country as "awesome."
"It's amazing. There is so much energy for the relay. And I'm excited to see how everyone gets up for an individual event, so I'm very excited for that," Schooling said back in 2019.
His last stint was the 2022 SEA Games in Vietnam, where he was found to have used cannabis.
Schooling ends his career with an Olympic gold medal, two world championship bronze medals, seven Asian Games medals including three golds, and 34 SEA Games medal--29 of them gold.