Singapore's Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling is taking time off from his busy schedule to cheer his favourite Premier League club Chelsea during their game against Crystal Palace at the Stamford Bridge on Saturday. (Check out live streaming information here)
The 21-year-old swimmer, who has been training at the University of Texas in the United States, posted a photo of his passport on his Instagram account and mentioned that it was also his first visit to the home of Premier League leaders.
Schooling has confessed in the past that he supports the Blues and he had started following football at the age of nine. The Eden Hazard fan had even mentioned in 2015 that he would be delighted if an opportunity to travel to London to support Chelsea comes his way.
The swimming champion has revealed, in an interview to the Olympic Channel, that watching Chelsea play at the Bridge does not happen always and that he wants to enjoy his time later today when the Blues, who are sitting pretty on top of the league table 10 points clear of their nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur, take on 16th-placed Crystal Palace, who are on a three-match winning streak.
Schooling concedes that he was a bit "pessimistic" about Chelsea's chances after a disappointing 10th-place finish last season under Jose Mourinho. However, he believes Italian tactician Antonio Conte is the right man to lead the Blues back to where they belong. The young athlete is also expecting to meet his favourites, Hazard and David Luiz on Saturday.
"I was a little pessimistic, let's put it that way after last season," Schooling said, according to the video.
"He [Conte] seems like a great guy, great charisma, motivates his players well. I think that is what they needed after Mourinho. So I am glad to see they are doing well."
Notably, the Singaporean recently finished with four relay gold medals at the NCCA Championships last month but failed to defend his titles in the 100m and 200m butterfly events. Schooling though reportedly said he will not be bogged down by the setback but will give his best at this year's Fina World Championships in July.
