‘A stud’: Swim legend Michael Phelps hails retired Joseph Schooling’s ‘great career’

PARIS: It has been almost eight years to the day he was pipped to the wall in an Olympic final by a Singaporean, but legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps has not forgotten that moment.
Speaking to reporters at Omega House in downtown Paris on Monday (Aug 5), Phelps was effusive in his praise of the now retired Joseph Schooling.
“I love Jojo. He’s been an awesome competitor of mine. I remember meeting him back in 2008 with his parents at the country club pool,” said the swim great.
“He’s a stud. I knew he was going to be tough in that race in ’16, and he had so much front-half speed.”
Schooling, Singapore’s only Olympic gold medallist, announced his retirement from competitive swimming in April.
He made history for Singapore at the 2016 Rio Olympics when he won gold in the 100m butterfly, beating his idol Phelps. Schooling holds eight national records – six in individual events and two in the relays.
“We went back and forth in text a few times in the last year,” revealed Phelps. “It’s fun to see him being able to retire when he wanted to. He won his gold medal, it’s so big, it’s so impressive.
“To be able to win a gold medal is less than 1 per cent of the 1 per cent, to have that opportunity like he did, in the moment that he did, it’s a great career. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Phelps, who has 28 Games medals to his name, is the most-decorated Olympian of all time. 
In a wide-ranging interview with reporters where he fielded a range of questions, Phelps spoke about the need for tougher sanctions for doping offences.
He has been vocal about such issues in the past. In June, the 39-year-old spoke before a congressional panel on anti-doping measures.
‘We all need to be held on the same level,” said Phelps. “You guys can go out and you guys can see how many times I was tested throughout my career, (it is) public records.
“And if everybody is not going through that same testing, I have a serious problem because it means the level of sport is not fair, it’s not even.”
Phelps added that during his time as a swimmer, people had called him a “cheater”. He responded by agreeing to even more stringent testing.
“What about going into (the) 2008 (Olympics)? I subjected myself to do more testing, blood and urine, weekly. Why? For the reason that I could say I’m not cheating, and I am clean and here are the results,” he explained.
“I did it the clean way. I won 23 Olympic gold medals. It can be done. Everybody should have that same mental approach to what they do. If not, go be in the cheater games. Isn’t that a thing now?”
Earlier this year, the sporting world was hit with revelations that 23 Chinese swimmers consumed a banned drug ahead of the last Games in 2021 – and were allowed to compete anyway.
It was reported that the athletes tested positive for a prescription heart drug, trimetazidine (TMZ) – which can enhance performance – at a domestic meet in late 2020 and in early 2021. The Tokyo Olympics were held in July and August 2021.
TMZ has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of banned substances since 2014, and is prohibited for use in and out of competition. 
WADA and swimming’s governing body World Aquatics, however, decided not to take action due to “a lack of any credible evidence” to challenge China’s version of events.
Chinese anti-doping authorities, meanwhile, determined that the swimmers had ingested the substance unknowingly from tainted food and that no action against them was warranted. 
Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun were part of the Chinese men’s 4x100m medley winning team on Sunday, while Zhang Yufei was on the women’s 4×100 medley team that earned the bronze medal at the Paris Games.
The trio are among the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
The spectre of the scandal has hung over the Paris Games, with various swimmers, both from China and other countries speaking out. 
Britain’s Adam Peaty, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, gave a scathing assessment, saying: “If you touch and you know that you’re cheating, you’re not winning, right? I don’t want to paint a whole nation or group of people with one brush, I think that’s very unfair.
“To the people that need to do their job – wake up and do your job.”
Zhang, however, hit back at the scepticism, saying: “Why are Chinese athletes questioned when they achieve fast times, yet no one doubted Michael Phelps when he won seven or eight gold medals?”
Phelps’ stance on those who fail doping tests is clear.
“If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry. I believe one and done,” he said.
“This is the Olympic Games. This is supposed to be where everybody comes together from all over the world and competes in a happy environment.”
At the same time, Phelps stressed that it was important not to single out those who have not returned a positive doping test.
“Until we know the facts, we can’t point the fingers, you can’t do that to somebody,” he said when asked about Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle’s blistering performances at the Paris Games. 
Pan won the men’s 100m freestyle last week, setting a new world record. He also clocked a 45.92s split to help China end the United States’ 64-year unbeaten run in the men’s 4x100m medley on Sunday.
“I get their country has a microscope on them, and a few of those athletes are under scrutiny because they have tested positive (in the past) … But for somebody who hasn’t had that positive test, you can’t point that finger at him, you can’t.”