gold

It's an odd feeling, to have your entire country celebrating its first Olympic gold -- and such a classy victory story, too -- and to be feeling so incredibly detached from it all.
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i'm happy for Jo Schooling, obviously, and the fact that he beat his old hero and 22-gold Olympian Micheal Phelps of all people, and set a new Olympic record, and that Phelps came in joint second with two other swimmers, was just a really sweet finish for everyone. A (relatively) happy ending for Phelps, and a gorgeous new beginning for Schooling. i especially like how the older man so gracefully took on the role of mentor to "this kid" after the race was over, and the way the kid seemed so overwhelmed and still in awe of his childhood idol, even during the post-race press conference. The two were reportedly seen deep in conversation after everything was over. It's a beautiful story, and i couldn't have written a better one myself.
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Still, i can't quite share in the mass jubilation everyone else around me seems to be feeling right now. Perhaps this is what happens when you take yourself off social media -- the things that other people are getting excited about just don't affect you in the same way.
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i remember watching a documentary on Schooling a few years back. It covered his daily schedule at the U of Texas in Austin -- and what i remember from that is how tired Schooling looked, and how punishing his schedule sounded. It's taken an incredible amount of hard work and sacrifice to get to where he is today. It's amazing and i hope he's savouring this moment as deeply as he possibly can.
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In other news. i also like the way the world's best airport celebrated its home country's first Olympic champion. Class act, Changi!
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