SINGAPORE – Crowds were screaming and shouting as they cheered “Schooling, Schooling!” when they caught a glimpse of Olympic champ Joseph Schooling on his victory parade on Thursday (Aug 18).
The day started bright and early around 9am for Schooling whose first stop was the Singapore Sports Hub, where the open-top bus parade kicked off from.
As the bus made its way along Tanjong Rhu and Tanjong Katong Roads, passing by Dunman High School and the Canadian School, students shouted his name and waved mini Singapore flags as Schooling waved back.
Students from Tanjong Katong Girls’ School waving to Joseph Schooling on the victory parade bus. Photo: AsiaOne
Cars along Old Airport Road blared their horns as the bus passed by and overhead bridges were also packed with people eager to see the swim star.
Schooling’s victory parade comprises of three stops – Marine Terrace Market, Singtel Comcentre Plaza and Raffles City Shopping Centre. He will get off at each stop to meet his supporters.
AsiaOne
At around 8.30am, there were reportedly queues at the first pit stop at Marine Terrace Market as many who lived nearby wanted to meet the champ and get his autograph, reported The Straits Times.
By 9am, crowds in the hundreds extended to nearby HDB blocks.
Crowds gathered outside Marine Terrace Market on Aug 18, 2016. Photo: AsiaOne
By the time the bus arrived at Marine Terrace at 10.30am, hundreds of people mobbed Schooling as he was trying to make his way through the crowd to get to his favourite fried carrot cake stall.
The crowds were too excited to see Schooling that a small scuffle took place as one fan was trying to get close to the Olympic champ, according to AsiaOne’s reporter on the ground.
At Singtel Comcentre, crowds gathered around the building and at the nearby skate park.
Schooling fans at Singtel Comcentre on Aug 18, 2016. Photo: AsiaOne
There, Schooling told his fans: “Thank you guys for coming out. You guys are amazing. I love you guys.”
Joseph Schooling addressing his fans at Singtel Comcentre. Photo: AsiaOne
Although that the past few days have been hard for his private life, he said: “I didn’t do this for myself, I did this for my country, my family, my friends.”
The victory parade continued along Orchard Boulevard with the bus passing the Istana, Plaza Singapura and School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA), where an accident involving two cars – apparently distracted by the Schooling entourage – occured. Schooling was traffic-stopping indeed.
Crowds at Raffles City Shopping Centre waiting for Schooling to arrive. Photo: Erik Wee
At the final pit stop at Raffles City Shopping Centre, people packed the mall and were positioned at different vantage points facing the Level 3 Atrium where the national swimmer would be stationed.
As soon as he arrived, the crowd went wild again.
At Raffles City, Schooling took a wefie with the audience and spent some time signing autographs.
Mother and daughter pair, Doreen Cheng and Thessabel, 12 (pictured below), were at Raffles City from 8am to queue up to meet Schooling.
Their efforts paid off as they were the first in line to get his autograph.
Thessabel, who is a huge fan of Schooling, told AsiaOne that she admires him because “he never gives up”, but she was a tad disappointed she didn’t get a photograph with him due to time constraints in the queue.
Schooling fans Thessabel, 12, and her mother Doreen Cheng queued at Raffles City Shopping Centre from 8am just to get Schooling’s autograph. Photo: AsiaOne
Schooling arrived in Singapore from Rio de Janeiro on Monday and his past four days have been jam-packed with events.
On Monday, he made an appearance in Parliament. Then on Tuesday, he visited his alma mater Anglo Chinese School (Junior). He took a break from media engagements on Wednesday as he met family and friends for a function at Tanah Merah Country Club. He also visited former President S R Nathan in hospital.
Today’s victory parade marks the last of his public appearances before he returns to US on Friday (Aug 19) for orientation in school at the University of Texas.
Stay tuned for more updates…
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