RIO DE JANEIRO - The first Olympian of the Lars Jorgensen era, Sean Gunn, improved on his own Zimbabwean national record in the 100-meter freestyle on Tuesday afternn.Gunn swam in the second heat of the 100 free prelims, finishing second with a new personal record of 50.87 seconds. His swim was gd for a top-50 finish, as he placed 48th in the Olympic field.The event marked the end of his Olympic schedule, as Gunn did not advance to the semifinals as one of the top 16 preliminary swims. He currently stands as Zimbabwes national record holder in both the 100 and 200-meter freestyle.Such an amazing opportunity for Sean to be in the Olympics, and represent his home country of Zimbabwe, Jorgensen said. He competed well, swam a personal best time, and broke his national record. Cant do much better than that.Gunn returns to the Wildcats for his senior season in the 2016-17 campaign. The team holds its annual Blue-White scrimmage on Sept. 30 in Lancaster Aquatic Center at 3 p.m. ET before traveling to Auburn, Ala., for the first meet of the new season on Oct. 12. Anyone who has ever experienced Singapores stifling humidity knows there are only two ways to seek refuge: stay inside air-conditioned buildings or take a dip in the pl.Coming from a Southeast Asian economic powerhouse and benefiting from one of the worlds best education systems, Singaporean kids cant be blamed if they go for the indr option. Sports, including swimming, have sometimes been regarded as leisurely pursuits, not to be taken as seriously as mathematics and science.But all that could be about to change thanks to Joseph Schling, a once shy and bespectacled kid who pulled off one of the most extraordinary upsets in Olympic swimming history by beating the seemingly invincible Michael Phelps in the Americans last individual race of his career.Think about that for a moment. Phelps, the GOAT, the man who has re-written every Olympic record, winning 23 gold medals and sinking everyone who has dared to challenge him. Unconquered in his first four races at Rio, and in his last individual event before hanging up his goggles. A man who hates to lose, competing in the 100 metres butterfly, the same race he had won at the three previous Olympics.What were the odds of anyone beating him? Let alone someone from Singapore, a tiny nation in Southeast Asia, that is smaller than some American cities, and had never won an Olympic gold medal, in any sport. Yet, in swimmings equivalent of David and Goliath, thats exactly what happened, but it was no fluke.He may come from a swimming minnow, but Schling is no Eric the Eel, and he didnt just beat Phelps for the gold, he beat him every step of the way. Ten years younger than Phelps, the 21-year-old beat him in the heats, beat him again in the semis, beat him off the blocks in the final, beat him over the first 50m, beat him over the last 50m, then beat the Olympic record Phelps set in Beijing, with the Singaporean winning the gold in 50.39 seconds.Phelps was so angry with himself after losing the 200m butterfly final in London four years ago that he came out of retirement because it grated him so much and he wanted to atone for his rare defeat. Not this time. Relegated to a three-way tie for second with South Africas Chad le Clos, himself a world and Olympic champion, and veteran Hungarian Laszlo Cseh, he swam under his lane rope and to the centre of the pl to congratulate Schling.No excuses. No regrets.I swam faster than I did four years to win (in London), Phelps said. But Joes tough. Obviously hes had a great year last year and had a really great last two years so hats off to him.The crowd at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium was shocked and confused, as much by seeing Phelps beaten as the triple dead-heat, the first ever in an Olympic final.Even Schling was pinching himself to make sure he wasnt dreaming. I dont know what to believe, whether I actually did it or Im still preparing my race, he said.I need to chill by myself, let this moment sink in, realise what Ive done then Ill have a better understanding of what Ive accomplished.The celebbrations in Singapore were less restrained.dddddddddddd country that desperately needed a sporting hero finally had one. One of the countrys most iconic statues is the Merlion, a mythical creature that has a lions head and the body of a fish, depicting Singapores spectacular transformation from a sleepy fishing village to one of the worlds biggest commercial hubs.Singaporean President Tony Tan flew to Rio to watch from the stands. The following morning, Schling was already on board a jumbo jet flying back to his homeland to attend a hastily arranged victory celebration, the likes of which Singapore has never seen before.This is all just so crazy, Schling said. But it shows that people from the smallest countries in the world can do extraordinary things.I hope this opens more drs for sports in our country and hopefully Ive set a precedent for a lot more young guys to come because Ive done something that no-one in our country has done before.Its been a tough road, Im not going to lie. For the first guy through the wall, its always bldy and I had to take that blow but Im thankful that I have the ability to accomplish this.Schlings win came at a perfect time for Singapore, with the government investing and actively promoting the benefits of sport. The country has head-hunted some of the best sports coaches and administrators from around the world but know that producing Olympic champions is a long and frustrating process that starts when kids are young.Schling was the trailblazer and there was a twist that the man he beat to win Singapores first gold medal was Phelps.Like a lot of his swimmers his generation, Schling was inspired to greatness by the American and even met him when he was just 13, posing for a photograph that has been widely circulated on social media since the final.Phelps was in Singapore in 2008 attending a training camp before the Beijing Olympics. One of the practice facilities he used was the same pl Schling trained so the young Singaporean approached him and asked for the photo.I wanted to be like him as a kid, Schling said. So a lot of this is because of Michael.To achieve his goals, Schlings parents made the bold decision to send their son to Florida to the famed Bolles Schl, under the guidance of master swim coach Sergio Lopez. He qualified for the 2012 London Olympics and tk up a scholarship at the University of Texas the following year after Singapore agreed to defer his two years of mandatory national service to let him prepare for Rio.In 2014 he won the Asian title and last year he earned a bronze medal at the world championships before bursting into the global spotlight with his unfathomable win on the sports biggest stage, earning the ultimate accolade from his childhd hero.Im so proud of Joe, Phelps said. I wanted to change the sport of swimming. I wanted kids to dare to dream, and thats just what Joe did. ' ' '