Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand, has signed Singaporean swimmer, Joseph Schooling, to Team Speedo on a long-term deal.

Aged 22 years old, Joseph Schooling has already made history by becoming Singapore’s first Olympic champion in 2016 by claiming gold in the Men’s 100m Butterfly.

Speaking of the new deal, Schooling said: “I’m very excited to begin my professional career as a Speedo athlete and evolve not only as a swimmer but also as a person. Growing up, the best swimmers in the world wore Speedo and I feel honoured to join Team Speedo and work with such an iconic brand. I look forward to taking my swimming to the next level with Speedo by my side to become both faster and stronger.”

Rob Hicking, Brand Director at Speedo International Limited commented: “Speedo’s goal is to inspire people to swim and we believe that Joseph Schooling will do just that. He has already achieved a fantastic college career and had a sensational win in Rio. We are thrilled to welcome Joseph to Team Speedo and we look forward to supporting him in his exciting future.”

Joseph Schooling in brief

Born in 1995, Schooling was encouraged to pursue his ambitions in the pool from an early age. He has achieved a decorated college career, having won multiple medals at the NCAA Championships, and he became the first swimmer to medal for Singapore at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 FINA World Championships.

After missing out on a medal in the London 2012 Olympics, he achieved superstar status when he beat the Olympic record set by his childhood hero Michael Phelps by a 0.75 second margin in Rio 2016. The win saw him become Singapore’s first ever Olympic Champion, and receive a hero’s welcome when he returned home to the nation.

Joseph will now be sporting Speedo’s most advanced swimwear technology, the Fastskin LZR Racer X suit in his forthcoming competitions.