This is old news. But I was reminded of it immediately upon seeing the quote you posted.
In short, the young gentleman Schooling (try figuring out which one in the photo is he) is my country's pride after he won our first olympic gold medal since independence. He trains in the USA under professionals and studies there after circumstances in Singapore did not allow him to do so. After winning the medal, however, politicians and businessmen began to fall head over heels to try and snatch a bit of limelight from him.