Rio Olympcs 2016: Joseph Schooling finishes ahead of childhood idol Michael Phelps in the 100m Freestyle heats

The headlines during the opening week of the 2016 Rio Olympics has so far been dominated by one man- Michael Phelps. The 31-year-old American swimmer has been on a gold medal spree this week, having stood on top of the podium in almost every event to take his personal Olympic medal tally to a staggering 26.

However, at the Men’s 100m Butterfly heats held on Friday morning, a young 21-year-old Singapore swimmer did something unexpected when he finished well ahead of the American champion.

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Joseph Schooling was part of Heat 6 in the 100m Butterfly and put forth a terrific performance to finish ahead of Phelps by 0.19 seconds in 1st place. Starting from Lane 4, the Singaporean completed the heat with a timing of 51.40 seconds while the America, who was in Lane 5, finished with a timing of 51.60 seconds.

There is an added backdrop to the whole story. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Phelps broke the record for the most number of golds won at the Summer Games, with 8 to his name, Schooling had the opportunity to meet his idol and share a photograph with him.

Now eight years on, the youngster has beaten his idol albeit in the heats and will now look to impress in the finals.

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Speaking about his performance, he said he found the swim to be easy and was focussed on the job at hand, later in the evening.

"It felt like a morning swim, relaxed, easy... I feel Okay, not really tired, just ready for tonight and focused,” he said.

The Olympic Games always bring out some fantastic stories about athletes achieving their dreams and this is just another addition to that ever growing list.

Joseph Schooling is the real deal. 8 years ago, he met Phelps. And today, he bested him. pic.twitter.com/fX9CxmmQwN— Priya Ramesh (@Priya8Ramesh) August 11, 2016