Caeleb Dressel, the reigning Olympic champion in both the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly, was visibly emotional at the Paris Summer Olympics on Friday after a pair of subpar performances in both events.
He initially missed out on a medal in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing in sixth place. Then, less than an hour later, he placed fifth in his 100-meter butterfly semifinal heat, lagging behind the leaders by a significant margin.
“It’s clearly not my best performance, but I had a lot of fun. It hasn’t been the best week, no need to sugarcoat it,” he told reporters moments before learning he wouldn’t be competing in another individual event.
“I’d like to be faster, obviously, but it’s not my week and that’s okay. I was significantly off my best, and I felt it. A lot went into this, just to be here, and I can get into that after the competition,” he said, before inquiring, “Anyone know if I made it?” as the other semifinal race concluded and the top eight swimmers who qualified for the final were announced. “Probably ninth or tenth; anyone know? Didn’t make it? Tough day. Tough day at the office.” NBC cameras then captured Dressel shedding tears over missing the opportunity to compete in another individual event at the Paris Games.
Dressel readily acknowledges that he is a different athlete, and swimmer, than the one who triumphed in Tokyo. At those Games, Dressel achieved gold in every race he entered, securing three individual first place finishes and two relay titles.
Despite that success, however, the competitive nature of swimming and the pressure to remain at the top were taking a toll on the three-time Olympian. In 2022, Dressel unexpectedly withdrew from the World Championships, citing health concerns. He later explained that he needed a break from the sport for his mental well-being.
For a time, it was uncertain whether Dressel would ever return to competition, let alone compete in another Olympics. He took an extended break from swimming, lasting eight to nine months, and in February 2024, he welcomed his first son, August, with his wife Meghan, whom he credits for helping him return to competitive swimming.
Juggling parenthood with elite training might seem like a challenging combination, but Dressel has managed to find a balance. “It’s definitely a different routine, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad,” he said in July. A training partner of Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke in Florida, Dressel didn’t begin focusing seriously on the Paris Olympics until 2023. He started rebuilding his racing form and entered his first competition in December of 2023, progressively improving his times to qualify for several events at the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this summer, including the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter butterfly and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, in which he won gold on the first day of racing at the Paris Olympics.
Dressel has one more race left in this Summer Games—the mixed medley relay on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters on Friday after acknowledging the challenging day, Dressel had a final message: “Let’s get ready for the relay.”
