Men's Health recently published an article demanding an apology from Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling for making "douchey comments" in a post-match interview.

That arrogance was once again on display during this morning's 100m butterfly semi-finals, where Schooling broke the national record and achieved another personal best with his 50.83-second swim.

Achievements

He secured quite a few achievements.

-Set a new Asian record

-Broke the national record

-Attained a personal best

-Became the first male Singaporean swimmer to reach the Olympic finals

-Secured the fastest finish in the 100m butterfly semi-finals at this year’s Olympics

Some might not read too much into those stats, and just congratulate him, but to secure so many achievements at just 21 years of age, to us, is kinda douchey.

Too good

The strong finish Schooling did for his heat was really uncalled for.

Why couldn't he have finished in the middle of the pack? Or won in a less convincing manner?

As our friends over at Men's Health said.

"A race is a race. Athletes train for years to attain a level just so they can gun for the very best. The Olympic medal is the highest accolade that professional athletes can ever dream to attain."

Wouldn't the fact that Schooling beat them be disrespectful to these competitors?

I mean, come on Schooling, this isn't a fun Sunday swim in the Bahamas. This is the real deal.

There is a need to always showcase the extreme competitiveness of the Olympics, and not do too well.

Apologise

Alas, this episode can be attributed to Joseph's tender age at the highest level, as a more seasoned competitor might have slowed down at the end to give us viewers more excitement.

Because what we, the audience, want is what's more important than what the actual competitors feel.

How best he can tackle the responsibilities of giving us what we want is another matter for another day, and he does need to acknowledge he's made a mistake and apologise.

For now, we will root for him to stake his claim at the 100m fly event final.

Related article:

Sports mag criticises Joseph Schooling’s soundbites as ‘douchey-sounding’, wants him to apologise

Top photo from Toggle live stream

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.