'Joseph swam the perfect race’: National assistant coach

How did Joseph Schooling win Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in any sport? According to national swimming assistant coach Gary Tan, a former butterfly specialist himself who competed at two Olympics, the 21-year-old effectively won it from start to finish. Tan breaks down for TODAY how Schooling executed the perfect technical race plan to beat out the likes of Michael Phelps, Chad le Clos and Laszlo Cseh….

START – THE DIVE AND BREAKING THE SURFACE

“Joseph actually swam a very good race plan, and he swam to a sustained momentum and speed. That was how he won the race.

“At the start,  he dived in well and had a fantastic underwater. He had a good whipping motion with a powerful down-and-up sweep motion before breaking the surface. This enabled him to lead the pack going into the first 15 metres.”

THE NEXT 35 METRES

“When Joseph emerged from underwater, he delivered his first two strokes very well. That set the momentum for him to get into a good rhythm to start attacking the remaining 35 metres.

AT THE TURN

“He then hit the turn fast and tight. He was very tight underwater. You could see his legs and core muscles tightening.

“Joseph kept himself very solid with a very straight and compact like a spear before surfacing again.

THE NEXT 25 METRES

“Joseph continued to initiate his strokes in a systematic and rhythmic way. In other words, the flow of the strokes remains consistent.

LAST 25 METRES

“In the last 25 metres, everyone was practically fading and the only person who tried to catch up with Joseph was Michael Phelps. But that was also when Joseph started to pick up his speed. This is an important moment.

“In other words, Joseph managed to sustain his speed all the way before increasing it. And that was how he won it from start to the end.”