Signs of romance in Joseph Schooling’s life
PETALING JAYA: Singaporean swimming star Joseph Schooling’s “triple heart” reply to a former Malaysian national swimmer has got tongues wagging on social media.
A report by The Straits Times cited social media posts that point to the possibility of Christina Loh, 23, being the 23-year-old’s new love interest.
On Nov 19, Loh posted a photo with Schooling on Instagram with the caption, which included the duo’s nicknames: “This gem is extra special. So glad being able to watch you race again. #ProudPanda #FishyandPandaReunited”.
The Olympic gold medallist responded in the comments section of her post with three heart emojis.
Loh, who has since made her Instagram account private, also posted a wefie of them on June 16, Schooling’s birthday.
The heartfelt caption read: “To this cheeky champ. I hope your birthday is as sweet as cake and that you never stop to enjoy the little things as you grow up into the successful person you are today. Wishing you only the best for this birthday and many more to come. Happiest of birthdays Fishy.”
According to the Singaporean daily, Schooling was back in the island state last month for the local leg of the Fina Swimming World Cup, where he won a bronze in the short-course 50m butterfly and a silver in the 4x50m mixed medley relay.
Loh’s social media profiles indicate that she graduated from Florida State University this year and is currently based in Kuala Lumpur.
Noted as a breaststroke specialist, she won two gold medals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the 2013 South-East Asian Asian Games in Myanmar, but left the Malaysian national team in 2015 to study in the United States.
Schooling is currently completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas, Austin.
Although several women have been linked to him in the past, he has not publicly acknowledged any talk of a romance.
Schooling has posted a photo of his family celebrating the new year with fellow UT student Mikaela Martinez in the United States in January this year.
A source close to the Schooling camp said Martinez is his “friend” when asked if she was his girlfriend.
In response to talk over his love life in 2016, his mother had said that Schooling has “many female friends”.