Eagle-eyed fans of Joseph Schooling would have spotted a shiny bulky ring on the Olympic swimming champion during his short return to Singapore.
Wedding bells are not in order - instead, the ring was commissioned by his parents May and Colin as a gift for their son in commemoration of his victory in the 100m butterfly final in Rio de Janeiro last year.
The platinum ring, which has the words "With Love Dad & Mum" engraved, was crafted by local jeweller Canary Diamond. Other details on the ring include the Singapore flag and Schooling's gold medal-winning timing in the 100m butterfly final in Rio (50.39sec).
Said Colin: "(The ring was meant) to commemorate Joseph's victory, but I also want to show that there is talent right here in Singapore in the jewellery industry."
Canary Diamond's general manager Johnny Lam revealed that the design of the ring is inspired by the championship rings worn by Super Bowl and NBA play-off winners but with a few tweaks.
He said: "We did research on what championship rings look like in the United States because Joseph is based there, but we also wanted some simple Asian elements because he is Singaporean and most of the championship rings in the US are quite loud with big, flashy stones."
Lam declined to reveal how much the ring costs, but said it had a value amounting to five figures.
He said: "To anyone who is Singaporean, having their first Olympic champion is something that is very special.
"No one in the history of Singapore sport has achieved what Joseph has, and I think he will be a beacon of inspiration to all our future sons and daughters."
- Additional reporting by Chua Siang Yee
