Caeleb Dressel

Caeleb Remel Dressel (born August 16, 1996) is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley events. He swims representing the Cali Condors as part of the International Swimming League. He won a record seven gold medals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, nine medals, six of which were gold, at the 2018 World Short Course Swimming Championships in Hangzhou, and eight medals, including six gold, at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju. Dressel is a nine-time Olympic gold medalist and holds world records in the 100 meter butterfly ( long course), and 100 meter individual medley (short course).

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Dressel won five gold medals, which made him the fifth American to win five gold medals in a single Olympic Games after 1970. Mark Spitz, Michael Phelps (3 times), Eric Heiden, and Matt Biondi were the other four. He also became the first male swimmer to win gold medals in the 50 meter freestyle, the 100 meter freestyle, and the 100 meter butterfly at the same Olympics. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Dressel won gold medals in the 4×100 freestyle relay and 4x100 mixed medley relay, putting him in a joint tie for 2nd-most Olympic golds after Michael Phelps.

Dressel holds American records in the 50 meter and 100 meter freestyle, 50 meter and 100 meter butterfly (long course), and the 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter butterfly (short course). He also holds American records in the 50 yard and 100 yard freestyle events, and the 100 yard butterfly, and formerly held national records in the 100 yard breaststroke and the 200 yard individual medley. Over the course of his collegiate career, he won NCAA titles in the 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle, and 100 yard butterfly individual events. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters in swimming history.

Early life

Dressel was born on August 16, 1996, in Green Cove Springs, Florida, the son of Christina and Michael Dressel. His father is a veterinarian specializing in urgent care for cats and dogs. Dressel is the third of four children; his three siblings, one brother and two sisters, plus his father were all competitive swimmers setting records and earning honors across the high school and university levels. He and his siblings learned to swim at a young age, for him when he was 4 years old, and by the time Dressel was 8 years old he had committed to competitive year-round swimming.

Dressel attended Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, Florida, and trained with the Bolles School Sharks in Jacksonville where he met his then training partner and now wife, Meghan Haila. He was a collegiate swimmer at the University of Florida starting in 2014 and majored in Resources and Conservation.

Career

2012

He led off a 50-yard free relay with a time of 19.82, becoming the first swimmer under 16 years old to break 20 seconds.

2012 US Olympic Trials

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, Dressel was the youngest male swimmer at 15 years of age and ranked 100th in the 200 meter individual medley in a time of 2:08.08, 121st in the 100 meter butterfly at 57.21 seconds, 121st with a time of 1:55.17 in the 200 meter freestyle, tied for 145th in the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 23.87 seconds, and tied for 152nd in the 100 meter freestyle with his time of 52.21 seconds."2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials: Results"
'' USA Swimming''. July 2, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2021. After not making the 2012 US Olympic Team, Dressel refocused and set his sights on the 2016 Summer Olympics.Axon, Rachel (May 10, 2016)
"After time off, swimmer Caeleb Dressel is contender at trials"
''USA Today''. Retrieved September 22, 2021.

2013

2013 World Junior Championships

When Dressel was 17 years old, he won six medals, including a gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle in which he broke the Championships record with his time of 48.97 seconds, at the 2013 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in August 2013. FINA (31 August 2013)
"4th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships: Results"
'' USA Swimming''. Retrieved September 23, 2021."Ultimate Athlete Profile: Caeleb Dressel"
''USA Today High School Sports''. October 28, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2021. His time also broke the National Age Group record set by Michael Phelps in the 100 meter freestyle in 2004 for the 17–18 year old age group by eight hundredths of a second.Frazier, Francine (September 25, 2013)
"Swimming Spotlight: Clay's Caeleb Dressel deals with world-class expectations"
'' The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved September 23, 2021. His other medals were in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay and the mixed 4x100 meter freestyle relay, where he won a silver medal in each event, and in the 50 meter freestyle, 4x200 meter freestyle relay, and the mixed 4x100 meter medley relay in which he won a bronze medal in each."Road to Rio: Caeleb Dressel"
'' WBIR-TV''. April 26, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2021. In addition to the events Dressel medaled in, he competed in the 200 meter freestyle where he finished sixth with a time of 1:49.29 and swam in the final of the 4x100 meter medley relay which did not place as it was disqualified. In total, his medal breakdown was one gold medal, two silver medals, and three bronze medals.

2013 US Junior National Championships

At the 2013 Speedo Winter Junior National Championships (the USA Swimming sanctioned national championship meet for 18 and under swimmers), Dressel became the youngest swimmer in history to break the 19 second barrier in the 50 yard freestyle, swimming an 18.94 to lead off his club team's relay.

2015

2015 NCAA Championships

During his freshman year at the University of Florida, Dressel won the 2015 NCAA title in the 50 yard freestyle when he was 18 years old with a time of 18.67 seconds, which was his first NCAA title, the first NCAA title for the Florida Gators in the men's 50 yard freestyle, and set a new 17—18 national age group record in the event.Keith, Braden (March 27, 2015)
"Watch Caeleb Dressel Break 17-18 NAG Record, Win NCAA Title, In 50 Free"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. With his performance, Dressel also became the fastest freshman in the 50 yard freestyle in the history of the NCAA and the second-fastest American in the event, only behind Nathan Adrian.Johnson, Annika (February 24, 2021)
"Adam Chaney Becomes 2nd Fastest Freshman Ever In 50 Free Behind Caeleb Dressel"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved February 16, 2022.Carroll, Tony (March 26, 2015)
"Caeleb Dressel Lowers NAG Record; Ties Seventh Fastest Swim In History"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved February 16, 2022.

2015 National Championships

At the senior 2015 National Championships (long course) in San Antonio, Texas, he won two individual titles, in the 50 meter and the 100 meter freestyle. His winning time of 21.53 in the 50 meter freestyle ranked 4th in the world for 2015.

2016

2016 NCAA Championships

At the 2016 Men's NCAA Division I Championships, he broke the American and US Open records in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 18.20 and the 100-yard freestyle with 40.46.

2016 US Olympic Trials

At the 2016 US Olympic Trials, Dressel made the 2016 US Olympic Team in the 100 meter freestyle by finishing second with a time of 48.23 seconds, he also placed 4th in the 50 meter freestyle, 7th in the 100 meter butterfly, 32nd in the 200 meter freestyle, and was disqualified in the 200 meter individual medley for a false start."2016 Olympic Trials Results"
'' USA Swimming''. July 3, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2021. In addition to the five events he raced, Dressel had entered to compete in the 100 meter breaststroke with his best time of 1:02.26 and the 100 meter backstroke, and decided not to race the events.Sutherland, James (July 22, 2016)
"Caeleb Dressel Entered In Seven Events For US Olympic Trials"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 22, 2021. Dressel's performances leading up to and at the 2016 US Olympic Trials earned him recognition as America's best young sprinter by ''Sports Illustrated'' and ''CBS News''.Gardner, David (June 22, 2016)
"How a hiatus helped Olympic hopeful Caeleb Dressel smash U.S. records"
''Sports Illustrated''. Retrieved September 22, 2021."Meet the star rookies of the 2016 USA Olympic Swim Team"
''CBS News''. August 5, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2021. Overall, Dressel and coach Gregg Troy chose a forwards mentality to Dressel's training, with Troy expressing Dressel's best could still be four, eight, or more years down the road.

2016 Summer Olympics

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dressel won his first Olympic medal, a gold medal, in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay."Rio 2016: Swimming World Records Smashed as Phelps, Peaty and Ledecky Win Gold"
''Newsweek''. August 8, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2021."All of Team USA's Rio Olympic Gold Medals in One GIF"
''Time''. August 11, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2021.Parenteau, Chris (August 13, 2016)
"Swimmers with ties to Jacksonville find success in Rio"
'' News4Jax''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. In the final, he swam the first leg in 48.10 seconds, which was the second-fastest lead-off relay leg in the finals heat, and was followed by relay teammates Michael Phelps, Ryan Held, and Nathan Adrian in that order. The American team recorded a time of 3:09.92. Of the 13 medals won by Florida Gators at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Dressel became the first athlete to win a medal from the university's sports teams with this gold medal. Dressel and his finals relay teammates earned USA Swimming's Golden Goggle Award for best relay performance of the year in 2016 for their efforts.Griffus, Annette (November 21, 2016)
"Adrian, 4x100 free win Relay Performance of the Year at Golden Goggles"
'' Kitsap Sun''. Retrieved September 24, 2021.Keith, Braden (November 21, 2016)
"2016 USA Swimming Golden Goggles Awards: Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. Dressel and his teammates shared tears in the medal ceremony and while doing a victory lap around the pool after they received their medals, their tearful reactions were highlighted by local news outlet '' The Florida Times-Union''.Harris, Beth (August 8, 2016)
"U.S. relay team tearful after victory in 4x100"
'' The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. The relay was also highlighted by '' SwimSwam'' as one of their five unforgettable moments of the 2016 Summer Olympics."5 Most Unforgettable Moments By U.S. Olympic Swimmers"
'' SwimSwam''. August 16, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2021.

In the 100 meter freestyle, Dressel finished sixth in the final in a time of 48.02 seconds with fellow United States swimmer Nathan Adrian taking the bronze medal and Kyle Chalmers of Australia winning the gold medal.Barney, Justin (August 10, 2016)
"Caeleb Dressel sixth in 100-meter freestyle"
'' The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved September 24, 2021.

Dressel also swam freestyle in the heats of the 4×100 meter medley relay, and won his second gold medal of the 2016 Olympic Games when the finals relay of Ryan Murphy (backstroke), Cody Miller (breaststroke), Michael Phelps (butterfly), and Nathan Adrian (freestyle) placed first in Olympic record time.Mendes, Rodrigo (August 19, 2016)
"Rio 2016 Swimming 6 - 13: Results Book"
'' Omega Timing''; '' Atos''. Version 1.1. Retrieved September 24, 2021.Eggert, Gregory (September 21, 2017)
"Caeleb Dressel (USA) "I don't want to be compared to Michael""
'' FINA''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. He swam a time of 47.74 seconds for the freestyle leg of the prelims relay consisting of him, David Plummer (backstroke), Kevin Cordes (breaststroke), and Tom Shields (butterfly).

2017

2017 NCAA Championships

His junior year of collegiate swimming and leading up to the 2017 NCAA Championships, Dressel became the second person to split under 18.00 seconds for 50 yards of freestyle on a relay, splitting a 17.90 on the 4×50 yard medley relay at the 2017 Southeastern Conference Championships, which was just 0.04 seconds off the fastest split time of 17.86 seconds swam by Vladimir Morozov his junior year in 2013.Brien, Taylor (February 15, 2017)
"Watch Caeleb Dressel Unleash 17.90 50 Free Split"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved February 16, 2022. At the 2017 NCAA Division I Championships, he broke the American and US Open records in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard freestyle with times of 43.58 and 40.00, respectively. He also tied his 50 freestyle record with an 18.20, the same as the preceding year.

2017 World Championships

At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Dressel won seven gold medals and set numerous American records. Dressel was named the male swimmer of the meet. He also became the second swimmer to win seven gold medals at a single World Championships, after Michael Phelps in 2007.Wamsley, Laurel (July 30, 2017)
"With 7 Golds, Caeleb Dressel Ties Phelps' Record At Swimming Worlds"
'' NPR''. Retrieved September 23, 2021.

On the first day of competition, July 23, Dressel set the American record in the 50 meter butterfly with a time of 22.76, topping the semifinals. Later that evening in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, Dressel set the American record in the 100 meter freestyle with a time of 47.26 in the leadoff leg. Combined with Townley Haas, Blake Pieroni, and Nathan Adrian, the American team won gold with a time of 3:10.06, earning him his first gold of the Championships.

On day two, Dressel finished fourth in the 50 meter butterfly final with a time of 22.89, missing a medal by 0.05 seconds. On day four, Dressel took part in the 4×100 meter mixed medley relay, swimming the butterfly leg and splitting a 49.92. Along with teammates Matt Grevers, Lilly King, and Simone Manuel, the American team won gold in a new world-record time of 3:38.56. That time broke the record set earlier in the day by Ryan Murphy, Kevin Cordes, Kelsi Worrell, and Mallory Comerford. On day five, Dressel re-set the 100-meter freestyle American record with a 47.17 in the 100 meter freestyle final, en route to winning gold by a margin of 0.70 seconds over silver medalist and teammate Nathan Adrian.

On day seven, Dressel became the first swimmer ever to win three gold medals on a single day. He won the 50 meter freestyle in 21.15, a new world textile best time. Half an hour later he won the 100 meter butterfly in 49.86, again a new world textile best and 0.04 seconds above the world record held by Michael Phelps. The third gold medal came in the 4×100 meter mixed freestyle relay, where he led off in 47.22. Dressel and teammates Adrian, Comerford, and Manuel broke the world record for this relay with a time of 3:19.60.

On the eighth and last day of competition, Dressel won his 7th gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Swimming the butterfly leg, Dressel recorded a time of 49.76 and the American team of Matt Grevers, Kevin Cordes, and Nathan Adrian won with a time of 3:27.91.

2018

2018 SEC Championships

At the 2018 Southeastern Conference, SEC, Swimming and Diving Championships in College Station, Texas, in February, Dressel lowered his best time in the 100 yard breaststroke from a 51.88 to a 50.03, which broke the former American, US Open, and NCAA records set by Kevin Cordes in 2014 at 50.04 by one hundredth of a second.Sutherland, James (February 17, 2018)
"Caeleb Dressel Breaks American, NCAA Records in 100 Breast"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 28, 2021.Rieder, David (February 17, 2018)
"Caeleb Dressel Posts 50.03 in 100 Breast; Beats American/NCAA Record by 0.01 — Race Video"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved September 28, 2021.Freeman, Clayton (February 18, 2018)
"Clay High grad Caeleb Dressel sets another U.S. record"
'' The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved September 28, 2021. Earlier in the Championships, Dressel also set a new American record in the 200 yard individual medley with his time of 1:38.13, lowering the record set by David Nolan in 2015 by 0.25 seconds.Keith, Braden (February 15, 2018)
"On Top Again: Caeleb Dressel Goes 1:38 200 Yard IM"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 28, 2021.Rieder, David (February 15, 2018)
"Caeleb Dressel Crushes American, NCAA Record in 200 IM — Race Video"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved September 28, 2021.ESPN (February 27, 2018)
"Caeleb Dressel sets American record in 200 IM win at 2018 SEC Swimming Championships"
''YouTube''. Retrieved September 28, 2021. Dressel's 100 yard breaststroke record garnered the attention of 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in breaststroke, Cody Miller, who produced a perspective piece on the American record and posted it to his, Miller's, YouTube channel less than two weeks after Dressel broke the record. Miller, Cody (February 23, 2018)
"Thoughts on Caeleb Dressels 100 Breast"
''YouTube''. Retrieved September 28, 2021. Later on, in August 2020, Dressel provided his analysis of the record in a video and put it on his own YouTube channel.Dressel, Caeleb (August 5, 2020)
"100y Breast American Record , Dressel Dissect"
''YouTube''. Retrieved September 28, 2021.

2018 NCAA Championships

At the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in March, Dressel won all three of his individual races, and won his first relay national title.

On day 2 of the competition, March 22, 2018, Dressel broke the NCAA, American, and US Open records in the 50 yard freestyle thrice. He first swam an 18.11 in the individual preliminaries race in the morning session. He later improved upon that record in the evening leading off The University of Florida's national championship winning relay with a 17.81 split, and finalized his record with a 17.63 in the 50 yard freestyle final. The next day, he broke the American and US open records in the 100 yard butterfly, swimming a 42.80. On the final day of competition, Dressel won the 100 yard freestyle by more than a second in a time of 39.90, completing his sweep of individual events for a second time. This secured him CSCAA Swimmer of the Meet honors for the third year in a row, as he became the first swimmer ever to break the 18 second 50 free barrier, the 40 second 100 free barrier, and the 43 second 100 fly barrier in the history of yards swimming. His split of 17.30 on the 4×50 yard medley relay marked the fastest 50 yard freestyle split time in the history of the NCAA.Neidigh, Lauren (March 23, 2018)
"Dressel Throws Down 17.3 Anchor Split In 200 Medley Relay Prelims"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved February 16, 2022.Rieder, David (March 23, 2018)
"Morning After: Caeleb Dressel Steals Show Again With 17.30 Relay Split"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved February 16, 2022.

2018 National Championships

In advance of the 2018 National Championships, Dressel was highlighted by NBC Sports as one of ten swimmers to watch at the meet with his entries in the 50 meter freestyle, 50 meter breaststroke, 50 meter butterfly, 100 meter freestyle, 100 meter breaststroke, 100 meter butterfly, 200 meter freestyle, and 200 meter individual medley.Zaccardi, Nick (July 23, 2018)
"Ten swimmers to watch at U.S. Swimming Championships"
''NBC Sports''. Retrieved September 22, 2021. At the 2018 US National Championships held in July 2018 in Irvine, California, Dressel won the 100 meter butterfly with a time of 50.50 seconds after finishing second in the 50 meter butterfly and sixth in the 100 meter freestyle."Dressel wins for 1st time in 3 events at US swim nationals"
'' Bay News 9''. May 9, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2021. Dressel's win in the 100 meter butterfly secured him a spot on the Pan Pacific Championships team, where he could also compete in the 100 meter freestyle even though he finished sixth because qualified athletes were allowed to compete in any event at the meet."Caeleb Dressel Wins 100 fly at nationals, secures Pan Pacific spot"
''ESPN''. July 27, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2021. He also placed second in the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 21.67, just 0.18 seconds behind Michael Andrew, and decided not to swim the 50 meter breaststroke, 100 meter breaststroke, 200 meter freestyle, and 200 meter individual medley."2018 Phillips 66 National Championships: Results Book"
'' Omega Timing''. July 29, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2021.

2018 Pan Pacific Championships

In August 2018 at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Dressel won the 100 meter butterfly after tying for second place in the 100 meter freestyle."Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel bounce back with wins at Pan Pacs"
''The Guardian''. August 11, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021. His winning time of 50.75 seconds in the 100 meter butterfly set a new Championships record in the event."Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2018: Total Ranking"
'' Seiko''. August 9–12, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2021. He won the silver medal in the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 21.93, finishing only behind fellow American Michael Andrew, and won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay alongside Ryan Murphy who swam backstroke, Andrew Wilson who swam breaststroke, and Nathan Adrian who swam freestyle.Freeman, Clayton (August 12, 2018)
"Murphy, Dressel finish Pan-Pacific swimming with gold"
'' The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved September 22, 2021. In the mixed 4x100 meter medley relay, Dressel swam the butterfly leg of the relay with a split time of 50.50 seconds, helping the relay consisting of him, Kathleen Baker, Michael Andrew, and Simone Manuel, finish third and win the bronze medal with a final time of 3:41.74. For the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, Dressel and his relay teammates Nathan Adrian, Zach Apple, and Blake Pieroni were disqualified for not swimming in the order they had submitted to the officials.Sutherland, James (August 11, 2018)
"Americans DQed For Swimming Out Of Order, Brazil Bumped To Relay Gold"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 22, 2021. After the meet, reports surfaced that Dressel had missed two weeks of training in June while recovering from a motorcycle accident, which had perhaps hampered his performance and prevented him for equaling his times from the previous year.

2018 World Short Course Championships

At the 2018 World Short Course Championships in Hangzhou, China in December 2018, Dressel tied Kelsi Dahlia for the most number of medals won at the World Championships meet with nine medals, he won six gold medals to Dahlia's seven."Team USA Wraps Dominant FINA World Championships (25m) with Nine-Medal Performance"
'' USA Swimming''. December 16, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021.Zaccardi, Nick (December 16, 2018)
"Caeleb Dressel finishes with nine medals, six gold; U.S. dominates short course worlds"
''NBC Sports''. Retrieved September 19, 2021. He swam on the same finals relay as Olivia Smoliga in the mixed 4x50 meter medley relay, both helping set a new swimming world record in the event and win the gold medal."U.S. swimmers set world record at short-course championships"
''ESPN''. December 13, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2021."14th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Results Book"
'' Omega Timing''. December 16, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2021. Dressel's efforts contributed to Smoliga's winning eight gold medals at the Championships and breaking Dressel's former Guinness World Record for "most number of gold medals won at a single FINA World Championships (individual)", which he held from 2017 when he won seven gold medals."Most gold medals won at a single FINA World Championships (individual)"
''Guinness World Records''. December 16, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2021.

Dressel won the silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly with a time of 48.71 seconds, twenty-one hundredths of a second behind gold medalist Chad le Clos of South Africa.Zaccardi, Nick (December 13, 2018)
"Chad le Clos clips Caeleb Dressel at short course worlds"
''NBC Sports''. Retrieved September 23, 2021. In the 4x50 meter freestyle relay, Dressel swam in the final, helped the relay earn the gold medal and set a world record in the event, and split a 20.43 on the first leg of the relay, setting a new American record in the 50 meter freestyle."Dressel Medals Twice to Lead Team USA at FINA World Championships (25m)"
. '' USA Swimming''. December 14, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2021.Price, Karen (December 14, 2018)
"Caeleb Dressel Picks Up Two Medals As Short Course Swimming Worlds Continue"
'' TeamUSA.org''. Retrieved September 23, 2021. For the 50 meter freestyle individual race, Dressel won the silver medal with a time of 20.54 seconds.

In the 100 meter freestyle, Dressel won the gold medal in an American record time of 45.62 seconds.Freeman, Clayton (December 16, 2018)
"Dressel, Murphy win medals at short course finals"
'' The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved September 23, 2021. Along with Blake Pieroni, Michael Chadwick, and Ryan Held in the final of the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, Dressel won a gold medal with the relay finishing in a world record time of 3:03:03.Price, Karen (December 11, 2018)
"Team USA Sets Men's Freestyle Relay World Record, Wins 5 Medals On Day 1 Of Short Course Swimming Worlds"
'' TeamUSA.org''. Retrieved September 23, 2021. He also won a gold medal in the mixed 4x50 meter freestyle relay in world record time, a gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay in Americas record and Championships record time, the silver medal in the 4x50 meter medley relay in American record time, and entered as one of two male American swimmers in the 50 meter butterfly, though decided not to swim in the event at the Championships.

2019

On May 17, 2019, Dressel edged out Chase Kalisz in the 100 meter breaststroke at the 2019 Atlanta Classic in Atlanta with a time of 1:01.22 in the final, dropping over a second from his best time of 1:02.26 heading into the 2016 Olympic Trials, and qualifying for the 2020 US Olympic Trials in the event.D'Addona, Dan (May 18, 2019)
"Caeleb Dressel, Hali Flickinger Win Twice at Atlanta Classic Night 1"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved September 28, 2021.

2019 World Championships

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships held in Gwangju, South Korea, he first won a gold as part of the team in men's 4×100 meter freestyle relay. He then won gold in the 50 meter butterfly, an event he failed to win in 2017. He is the first American man to win that event, and he set a new national and championship record time of 22.35 seconds for the event. This is followed by a national record and the third fastest time in history (46.96) in the 100 meter freestyle.

In the 100 meter butterfly event, Dressel broke Michael Phelps' ten-year-old record by 0.32 second in the semi-final, setting a new world-record time of 49.50 seconds. He won gold in the final the following day. That same day within two hours, Dressel won two more gold medals – in the 50 meter freestyle in a Championships record time, and as part of the team in the mixed 4×100 meter freestyle relay, which was won in a world-record time of 3 minutes, 19.40 seconds. This was a repeat of his achievement in Hungary in 2017, and it was also the first time anyone won three gold medals in one day at the Championships two times.

In the final day of the Championships, Dressel helped win a silver medal in the men's 4×100 meter medley relay. The medal was the eighth that Dressel won at the Championships, and the most medals of any type that a person had won at a single long course Championships. FINA named Dressel male swimmer of the meet, which he also won in 2017.

International Swimming League

In 2019 he was a member of the inaugural International Swimming League representing the Cali Condors, who finished third place in the final match in Las Vegas, Nevada in December. Dressel won the Most Valuable Player of the match honor in all 3 matches he participated in as well as winning the skins race each time. Dressel swam the 50 meter freestyle in Las Vegas and beat Florent Manaudou's world record of 20.26 from 2014 by going a 20.24.Hart, Torrey (December 20, 2019)
"Caeleb Dressel Resets Florent Manaudou's 50 Free (SCM) World Record At 20.24"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved January 9, 2022. He also won the 100 meter freestyle, 100 meter butterfly, and 50 meter butterfly.

2020

International Swimming League

Continuing to represent the Cali Condors, Dressel broke four world records in the 100-meter butterfly (at 47.78 seconds) and the 50-meter freestyle world record, which he already held (to 20.16 seconds).Lohn, John (November 21, 2020)
"Flash! Caeleb Dressel Takes Down Second WR of Day With Standard in 50 Freestyle"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved January 9, 2022. He is the first person to swim the 100-meter butterfly in less than 48 seconds. He also broke his own 100 IM record twice, dropping it to 49.88 the first time, and 49.28 the second time. These two record breaks occurred one weekend after he was the first swimmer to ever do the 100-meter individual medley in under 50 seconds.

2020 US Olympic Trials

In total, Dressel qualified to compete in seven events at the Olympic Trials: the 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter freestyle, 200 meter freestyle, 100 meter butterfly, 200 meter butterfly, 100 meter breaststroke, and 200 meter individual medley.Anderson, Jared (August 5, 2020)
"Current U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifiers By Event, Age, LSC & More"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 28, 2021.

On day two of the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Trials (held in June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), June 14, 2021, Dressel competed in the 200 meter freestyle prelims in the morning, swimming a 1:46.63 and ranking 2nd overall for the heats."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 200m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.Anderson, Jared (June 14, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 14, 2021."Ryan Murphy, Caeleb Dressel start well in Monday morning swimming trials"
'' Florida Times-Union''. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021. Dressel's swim moved him up in rankings to the all-time 20th fastest American in the event.Sutherland, James (June 14, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Opens Olympic Trials With 200 Free Best Time - 1:46.63"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 14, 2021. Following his morning swim, Dressel decided not to swim in the event's semifinals.Sutherland, James (June 14, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Scratches 200 Free Semi-Finals At Olympic Trials"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 14, 2021.

On day four of competition, Wednesday June 16, 2021, Dressel ranked 5th out of all prelims heats in the 100 meter freestyle swimming a 48.25 and advancing to the semifinals."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.Sutherland, James (June 16, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 16, 2021. In the semifinals in the evening of the same day, Dressel ranked first with a time of 47.77 and advanced to the final."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Freestyle Semifinals Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.Zaccardi, Nick (June 16, 2021)
"Katie Ledecky, after chats with legends, wins two races in one night at Olympic Swimming Trials"
''NBC Sports''. Retrieved June 16, 2021. On day five, June 17, 2021, Dressel won the 100 m freestyle with a time of 47.39 and qualifying him for the US Olympic Swimming team in the 100 m freestyle and the freestyle relay for the 2020 Summer Olympics."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Freestyle Final Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.Sutherland, James (June 17, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 5 Finals Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 17, 2021. He tied the US Open record and Championships record for the 100 meter freestyle with his swim. This marked the second Olympic Games Dressel qualified to compete at.OlympicTalk (June 17, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel qualifies for Tokyo at Olympic Trials ahead of potentially historic summer"
''NBC Sports''. Retrieved June 17, 2021.ESPN News Services (June 17, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel headed to Tokyo Olympics; Ryan Lochte advances to 200 individual medley final"
''ESPN''. Retrieved June 17, 2021.

On day six, Dressel won the prelims heats of the 100 meter butterfly with a 50.17 breaking the US Open record and Championships record."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Butterfly Heats Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.Anderson, Jared (June 18, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 6 Prelims Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 18, 2021. On the same day in the semifinals, he improved further on his US Open record dropping it to a 49.76, earning Dressel the top 3 times in history in the event."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Butterfly Semifinals Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.Sutherland, James (June 18, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 6 Finals Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 18, 2021.

In the morning of day seven, Dressel swam a 21.29 in the prelims heats of the 50 meter freestyle, taking first, breaking the Championships record, and advancing to the semifinals."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 50m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.Sutherland, James (June 19, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 7 Prelims Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 19, 2021. In the evening of day seven, Dressel swam in the final of the 100 meter butterfly and the semifinals of the 50 meter freestyle. In the final of the 100 meter butterfly, Dressel swam a 49.87, winning the final and swimming under 50 seconds for the fifth time."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Butterfly Finals Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.Sutherland, James (June 19, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 7 Finals Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 19, 2021. His swim qualified him to represent the United States in the 100 meter butterfly at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In the semifinals of the 50 meter freestyle, Dressel posted a 21.51, advancing as the fastest seed to the final."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 50m Freestyle Semifinals Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.

On the final day, Dressel qualified to swim the 50 meter freestyle at the 2020 Olympic Games by winning the final with a time of 21.04. Dressel's swim also tied his personal best time and set a new US Open record."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 50m Freestyle Final Results Summary"
'' Omega Timing''. June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.Sutherland, James (June 20, 2021)
"2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 8 Finals Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 20, 2021.

Dressel's engagement with fans, including a look-alike, and embracing being a role model for swimmers across America during the Olympic Trials led '' Swimming World'' to herald Dressel as "the face of USA Swimming's men's team".Ross, Andy (June 23, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Makes Night For Young Look-Alike Fan at U.S. Trials"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved September 22, 2021.

2020 Summer Olympics

Dressel was selected as one of two male USA swimming captains for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, held in August 2021, along with Ryan Murphy.Dornan, Ben (July 5, 2021)
"Murphy, Dressel, Schmitt & Manuel Named 2020 USA Olympic Swimming Captains"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved July 5, 2021.

On day three of competition, Dressel won his first medal at the 2020 Olympics swimming in the finals of the 4x100 meter freestyle relay.Bengel, Chris; AlBaroudi, Wajih (July 25, 2021)
"2020 Tokyo Olympics: Caeleb Dressel leads Team USA to gold in men's swimming 4x100-meter freestyle relay"
'' CBS Sports''. Retrieved July 25, 2021."US men win gold in 4x100 free relay, deliver Caeleb Dressel first medal in quest for six at Tokyo Olympics"
''USA Today''. July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021. He helped the relay win the gold medal, swimming the relay's lead-off leg and splitting the second fastest time among his relay teammates Blake Pieroni, Bowe Becker, and Zach Apple with a 47.26. Omega Timing; Atos (August 1, 2021)
"Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Swimming Results Book"
. ''International Olympic Committee''. Retrieved September 22, 2021.

On day four, Dressel ranked second overall in the prelims heats of the 100 meter freestyle with a time of 47.73 and advanced to the semifinals."Caeleb Dressel finishes second-fastest in 100 freestyle qualifying"
''ESPN''. July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021. The following morning of competition, he swam a 47.23 in his semifinal heat and advanced to the final ranking second for both semifinal heats.Lepesant, Anne (July 27, 2021)
"Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 4 Finals Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved July 27, 2021."Caeleb Dressel has 'plenty left' for 100m freestyle final"
''NBC Olympics''. July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021. Dressel won his first individual Olympic gold medal in the final of the 100 meter freestyle with a time of 47.02, a new Olympic record."Swimmer Caeleb Dressel wins men's 100-meter freestyle; Bobby Finke takes gold in 800 free"
''ESPN''. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021. Dressel finished six hundredths of a second ahead of Australian Kyle Chalmers, which was a changing of Olympic champion from the 2016 Summer Olympics where Chalmers won the gold medal and Dressel finished sixth in the 100 meter freestyle."Team USA's Caeleb Dressel wins men's 100m freestyle - and first individual gold - in Olympic record"
. ''International Olympic Committee''. July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021. ''People'' and '' Parade'' magazines highlighted Dressel and his wife, Meghan, for their tearful reaction to him winning the 100 meter freestyle in Olympic record time, with his wife's eruption of emotion leading ''People'' to dub Meghan as their pick for the "Olympic gold medal for most celebratory spouse watching from halfway around the world in a pandemic".Sager, Jessica (August 1, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Gets Emotional at Olympics—See the Sweet Moments of the Swimmer Who Stole Our Hearts"
'' Parade''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. ''People'' not only recognized his wife, they also recognized Caeleb Dressel for his physique, naming him as their "Sexiest Olympian" for the 2020 Olympic Games."Paul Rudd has been named People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. But how do they pick it?"
''Australian Broadcasting Corporation''. November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.Edmund, Emma (November 11, 2021)
"People Names Caeleb Dressel 'Sexiest Olympian'"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved November 11, 2021.

In the evening of day six, Dressel tied the Olympic record in the 100 meter butterfly with a time of 50.39 in the prelims heats.De George, Matthew (July 29, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Ties Olympic Record, Kristof Milak Second Seed in 100 Fly"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved July 29, 2021.Murphy, Bryan (July 29, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Ties 100m Butterfly Olympic Record in Qualifying Heats"
'' NBC 10 Boston''. Retrieved July 29, 2021."After pulling double duty, Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky cruise in Olympic swimming preliminaries"
''ESPN''. Retrieved July 29, 2021. This first Olympic record in the 100 meter butterfly Dressel set less than nine hours after setting the Olympic record in the 100 meter freestyle.Freeman, Clayton (July 29, 2021)
"Two records, eight hours: Florida's Caeleb Dressel breaks second Olympic record in 100 fly"
'' The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved July 29, 2021. In the second semifinal heat of the 100 meter butterfly on day seven, Dressel swam a 49.71 and broke the Olympic record of 50.31 Kristóf Milák set in the first semifinal heat.Goodman, Eric (July 29, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel scares own world record in 100m butterfly semifinal"
''NBC Olympics''. Retrieved July 29, 2021. Later on day seven, Dressel swam three hundredths of a second off from setting a new Olympic record in the prelims of the 50 meter freestyle with his time of 21.32 and advanced to the semifinals ranked first.Anderson, Jared (July 30, 2021)
"Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 7 Prelims Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved July 30, 2021.De George, Matthew (July 30, 2021)
"Olympics: Caeleb Dressel Scares Olympic Record as 50 Free Top Seed"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved July 30, 2021.

On day eight, Dressel won the final of the 100 meter butterfly in a world record time of 49.45.Goodman, Eric (July 30, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel adds 100m butterfly gold, breaks world record"
''NBC Olympics''. Retrieved August 1, 2021. In his second race, Dressel ranked first overall in the semifinals of the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 21.42 and advanced to the final.Sutherland, James (July 30, 2021)
"Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 7 Finals Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved August 1, 2021. In his last race of the day, the final of the 4x100 meter mixed medley relay, Dressel finished in fifth place with his relay teammates Ryan Murphy, Lydia Jacoby, and Torri Huske.Forde, Pat (July 31, 2021)
"Team USA Plagued by Trust Issues in Swimming Relays"
''Sports Illustrated''. Retrieved August 1, 2021. His world record and gold medal win in the 100 meter butterfly was chosen by Olympics.com as their number three moment in swimming at the 2020 Olympic Games."What we learned: Swimming wrap-up from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics"
'' Olympics.com''. August 8, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.

On the final day, Dressel won the gold medal in 50 meter freestyle with an Olympic record time of 21.07.Selbe, Nick (July 31, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Wins Gold, Sets Olympic Record in 50m Freestyle Final"
''Sports Illustrated''. Retrieved August 1, 2021. Later in the same session, Dressel won the gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay and set a new world record for the event of 3:26.78 in the final with his relay teammates Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, and Zach Apple.Goodman, Eric (July 31, 2021)
"U.S. breaks world record for medley relay gold, Dressel's fifth"
''NBC Olympics''. Retrieved August 1, 2021.Barzilai, Peter (July 31, 2021)
"US men set world record in 4x100 medley relay as Caeleb Dressel wins fifth gold of Tokyo Olympics"
''USA Today''. Retrieved August 1, 2021.

By winning gold in five events at a single Olympic Games, Dressel became the fifth swimmer to achieve this feat.(August 3, 2021)
"TOKYO 2020, NORTH AMERICA DAY 8: DRESSEL JOINS ELITE COMPANY WITH FIVE GOLDS"
Retrieved August 3, 2021. For the addition of the world record in the 4x100 meter medley relay to Dressel's list, he was awarded the Guinness World Record for "Most FINA world records held by an individual (current)" on August 11, 2021, for his then current 9 FINA world records."Most FINA world records held by an individual (current)"
''Guinness World Records''. August 11, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021. His gold medal-winning performances at the 2020 Olympic Games also earned him the 2021 James E. Sullivan Award.Rieder, David (October 22, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Announced as Recipient of James E. Sullivan Award"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved October 22, 2021.

After the Olympic Games, Dressel took a break from swimming for a few weeks due to mental health concerns, returning to competition in late August as part of the International Swimming League. In November 2021, Dressel amicably parted ways with his long-time coach Gregg Troy, regarding whom he has said "I owe him everything." Dressel moved under the direction of Anthony Nesty, who succeeded Troy as the head coach at the University of Florida in 2018.

International Swimming League

In the 2021 International Swimming League, Dressel was selected early on in the draft process as a protected swimmer to compete for the Cali Condors again.Anderson, Jared (June 7, 2021)
"Cali Condors, Energy Standard Announce Protected Athletes For 2021"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved August 1, 2021. He started his competition in the 2021 season on August 28 in the second match of the season, and the first match of the season his team competed in, earning the second-most MVP points in the match with 93 points. ISL (August 29, 2021)
"ISL Match 2: Match MVP Standings"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved May 2, 2022. For the fourth match of the regular season, Dressel earned match Most Valuable Player, MVP, honors with a total of 112.5 MVP points, which was over 50 points ahead of the next-highest scorer Kelsi Dahlia also of the Cali Condors. ISL (September 5, 2021)
"ISL Match 4 Napoli (ITA): Match MVP Standings"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 20, 2021.Rieder, David (September 5, 2021)
"ISL Match 4, Day 2: Caeleb Dressel Wins Four Events, Kelsi Dahlia Takes Two as Cali Condors Pull Away"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. In match six, Dressel swam a personal best time of 1:51.14 in the 200 meter individual medley, finishing second only behind Daiya Seto of the Tokyo Frog Kings. ISL (September 11, 2021)
"ISL Match 6 Napoli (ITA): Men's 200m Individual Medley Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. His swim also registered Dressel as the second fastest American swimmer in the event, a slim second and a half slower than American Ryan Lochte who set the world record in the event at 1:49.63 in 2012.Edmund, Emma (September 11, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Scores No. 2 US Time In First SCM 200 IM"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved November 20, 2021.Rieder, David (September 11, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Shows Brilliance and Humanity in 200 IM Cameo Against Daiya Seto"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. Partway through the regular season, in mid-September 2021, Dressel and team general manager Jason Lezak decided Dressel would withdraw from competing for the remainder of the regular season and return for the playoffs.Sutherland, James (September 14, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel To Sit Out Remainder of ISL Regular Season"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 14, 2021.

For the first match of the playoffs season, Dressel joined fellow Cali Condors teammate and Olympian Hali Flickinger in not partaking in match competition.Sutherland, James (November 11, 2021)
"Dressel, Le Clos To Miss Opening Match Of ISL Playoffs (Day 1 Start Lists)"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved November 11, 2021. For the fourth match of the playoffs season, Dressel was entered on the start lists for a number of events including the 50 meter freestyle where he entered to compete against Kyle Chalmers of London Roar. ISL (November 20, 2021)
"ISL Match 15 Eindhoven (NED): Men's 50m Freestyle Start List"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. Come race time, Dressel placed third the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 21.04, finishing seven-hundredths of a second behind first-place finisher Kyle Chalmers and earning 6.0 points for his team. ISL (November 20, 2021)
"ISL Match 15 Eindhoven (NED): Men's 50m Freestyle Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 20, 2021.Sutherland, James (November 20, 2021)
"2021 ISL Playoffs — Match 4: Day 1 Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. He swam the anchor leg of the 4x100 meter freestyle relay for his next race, splitting a 47.26 and helping the relay place third. ISL (November 20, 2021)
"ISL Match 15 Eindhoven (NED): Men's 4x100m Freestyle Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. In the 4x100 meter medley relay Dressel got his first win of the match, splitting the second fastest time, a 49.60, for the butterfly leg of the relay, faster than the third-fastest split of 50.03 by Kyle Chalmers and slower than the split of 48.83 by Tom Shields of LA Current. ISL (November 20, 2021)
"ISL Match 15 Eindhoven (NED): Men's 4x100m Medley Relay Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 20, 2021. On the second and final day of match competition, Dressel won his first individual event of the playoffs season in the 100 meter individual medley with a time of 51.67 seconds that earned his team 10.0 points. ISL (November 21, 2021)
"ISL Match 15 Eindhoven (NED): Men's 100m Individual Medley Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 21, 2021.Carlson, Reid (November 21, 2021)
"2021 ISL Playoffs Match 4, Day 2: Live Recap"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved November 21, 2021. In his final race of the match, the 4x100 meter mixed medley relay, Dressel helped his relay place fifth and earn 8.0 points for the Cali Condors. ISL (November 21, 2021)
"ISL Match 15 Eindhoven (NED): Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved November 21, 2021.

Following his playoffs match four performances, Cali Condors team manager Jason Lezak made the executive decision to have Dressel sit out of the final playoffs match so Dressel could conserve energy for the final match.Sutherland, James (November 26, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel To Sit Out Of This Weekend's Playoff Match, Rest For ISL Final"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved November 26, 2021. On the first day of the final match, Dressel helped set new Americas and American records in the 4×100 meter medley relay with Coleman Stewart (backstroke), Nic Fink (breaststroke), and Justin Ress (freestyle), splitting a time of 49.01 seconds for the butterfly leg of the relay to help achieve a time of 3:19.64. ISL (December 3, 2021)
"ISL 2021 Final Eindhoven (NED): Men's 4x100m Medley Relay Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved December 3, 2021.Rieder, David (December 3, 2021)
"Cali Condors' Stewart, Fink, Dressel and Ress Break American Record in 400 Medley Relay"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved December 3, 2021. Dressel also won the 100 meter individual medley in a time of 50.74 seconds, earning 9 points for his team, and won the 50 meter butterfly skins competition with a time of 23.05 seconds in the final head-to-head competition against Tom Shields. ISL (December 4, 2021)
"ISL 2021 Final Eindhoven (NED): Men's 100m Individual Medley Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved December 4, 2021. ISL (December 4, 2021)
"ISL 2021 Final Eindhoven (NED): Men's 50m Butterfly Skins Results"
'' Omega Timing''. Retrieved December 4, 2021.

2022

International team trials

The 2022 USA Swimming International Team Trials were from April 26 to April 30 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Caeleb Dressel swam the 50 freestyle, the 100 freestyle, the 50 butterfly, and the 100 butterfly. He won all four of those events and is set to swim them at the world championships in Budapest, Hungary.

2022 World Championships

On the first day of the 2022 World Championships, Dressel led-off the 4×100 meter freestyle relay in a time of 47.67 seconds, helping achieve the first relay gold medal of the Championships for the United States. The next day, he backed up the gold medal in the relay with a gold medal in the 50 meter butterfly, finishing first with a time of 22.57 seconds, which was over two-tenths of a second faster than silver medalist Nicholas Santos of Brazil.

On the fourth day of the world championships, Dressel swam the 100 meter freestyle in the prelims heats to achieve the second-fastest seed going into the semifinals. However, he decided to withdraw from further competition for health reasons.

Results in major championships

: Dressel swam only in the heats.
: Dressel chose to withdraw from the 100 freestyle due to medical concerns.

Personal bests

Long course meters (50 m pool)

Short course meters (25 m pool)

Short course yards (25 y pool)

World Records

Long course meters (50 m pool)

Short course meters (25 m pool)

National Records

Long course meters (50 m pool)

Short course meters (25 m pool)

Short course yards (25 y pool)

''Guinness World Records''

* "Most FINA world records held by an individual (current)", August 11, 2021: 9 FINA world records in swimming.

Awards and honors

* ESPY Award for Best Olympian, Men's Sports: 2022
* James E. Sullivan Award: 2021
* ''People'', Sexiest Olympian: 2021
* FINA, Top 10 Moments: 2020 Summer Olympics (#6)"Tokyo Olympics: Top 10 moments"
'' FINA''. November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
* Olympics.com, Top 5 Moments: Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics (#3)
* ''Sports Illustrated'' Athlete of the Year (male): 2021Penland, Spencer (December 8, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Named Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
* ''Sports Illustrateds Fittest 50: 2019 (#22),"Sports Illustrated's Fittest 50"
''Sports Illustrated''. January 9, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2021. 2020 (#10),"Sports Illustrated's Fittest 50 2020"
''Sports Illustrated''. February 6, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2021. 2021 (#7),"Sports Illustrated's Fittest 50 2021"
''Sports Illustrated''. May 5, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021. 2022 (#3)"Sports Illustrated's Fittest 50 2022"
''Sports Illustrated''. January 17, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
* 2019 FINA World Championships: Best Male Swimmer
* 2017 FINA World Championships: Best Male Swimmer
* FINA Athlete of the Year in Swimming (male): 2017,"PR 94 - FINA awards Best Athletes of 2017"
'' FINA''. December 2, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2019,""FINA Best Athletes of the Year" honored after a memorable 2019"
'' FINA''. February 7, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2021D'Addona, Dan (December 17, 2021)
"FINA Yearly Awards: Caeleb Dressel, Emma McKeon Lead Winners; Filipovic, Steffens, Wellbrock, Cunha Too"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
* USA Swimming, Athlete of the Year: 2017, 2019, 2021"Dressel, Hoppenrath Earn Awards at USA Swimming Annual Business Meeting"
'' USA Swimming''. September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
* Golden Goggle Award Male Athlete of the Year: 2017,Anderson, Jared (November 20, 2017)
"Full 2017-2018 Golden Goggles Winners List"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2019,"Dressel, Manuel win athlete of year honors at Golden Goggles"
''The Seattle Times''. November 24, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2021. 2021Griswold, Molly (December 7, 2021)
"2021 Golden Goggle Award Winners"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
* Golden Goggle Award Male Race of the Year (100 meter butterfly): 2017, 2019
* Golden Goggle Award Relay Performance of the Year: 2016,Weitzel, Layne (November 22, 2016)
"Dressel and Beisel Take Home Golden Goggle Awards"
'' Florida Gators''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2018,Ross, Andy (November 19, 2018)
"2018 Golden Goggles: Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy Win Athlete of the Year Awards"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2021
* '' Swimming World'' World Swimmer of the Year (male): 2017,Brien, Taylor (December 1, 2017)
"Swimming World Announces 2017 World Swimmers of the Year"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2019,Serowik, Lauren (December 2, 2019)
"Swimming World Presents The 2019 Swimmers of the Year!"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2021Serowik, Lauren (December 1, 2021)
"Swimming World December 2021 Presents – 2021 World Swimmers of the Year: Caeleb Dressel and Emma McKeon – Available Now!"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
* ''Swimming World'' American Swimmer of the Year (male): 2017, 2019, 2021
* '' SwimSwam'' Swammy Award Swimmer of the Year (male): 2017,Neidigh, Lauren (November 20, 2017)
"2017 Swammy Awards Male Swimmer Of The Year: Caeleb Dressel"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2019,Neidigh, Lauren (December 30, 2019)
"2019 Swammy Awards: Male Swimmer Of The Year Caeleb Dressel"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 24, 2021. 2020,Dornan, Ben (January 5, 2021)
"2020 Swammy Awards: Male Swimmer of the Year Caeleb Dressel"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved September 23, 2021. 2021Dornan, Ben (January 6, 2022)
"2021 Swammy Awards: Male Swimmer Of The Year, Caeleb Dressel"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
* ''SwimSwam'' Top 100 (Men's): 2021 (#1),Anderson, Jared (February 5, 2021)
"SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2021: Men's #10 — #1"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved October 11, 2021. 2022 (#1)Sutherland, James (January 24, 2022)
"SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2022: Men's #10-1"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
* ''SwimSwam'' Swammy Award, NCAA Swimmer of the Year (male): 2017,Neidigh, Lauren (December 30, 2017)
"2017 Swammy Awards NCAA Male Swimmer Of The Year: Caeleb Dressel"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved October 5, 2021. 2018Sutherland, James (December 17, 2018)
"2018 Swammy Awards: Male NCAA Swimmer Of The Year — Caeleb Dressel"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
* Southeastern Conference (SEC), Male Swimmer of the Year: 2015–2016, 2016–2017,"Caeleb Dressel, Olivia Smoliga Named 2017 SEC Swimmers Of The Year"
'' SwimSwam''. April 6, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2021. 2017—2018Smith, Chad (July 6, 2018)
"Caeleb Dressel Tabbed SEC Male Athlete of the Year"
'' Florida Gators''. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
* College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), Division-1 Swimmer of the Year (Men's): 2015–2016, 2016–2017,Anderson, Jared (March 25, 2017)
"Caeleb Dressel Named 2017 CSCAA Swimmer Of The Year"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved October 5, 2021. 2017—2018Anderson, Jared (March 24, 2018)
"Barrier-Breaking Dressel Earns CSCAA's Swimmer Of Year Award For 2018"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
* ''SwimSwam'' Swammy Award, Age Group Swimmer of the Year 17—18 (male): 2013Lepesant, Anne (January 9, 2014)
"2013 Swammy Awards: Age Group Swimmer Of The Year - 17 To 18"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
* ''SwimSwam'' Swammy Award, ''SwimSwam'' Buzz Award: 2013Keith, Braden (December 26, 2013)
"2013 Swammy Awards: SwimSwam Buzz Award"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved October 5, 2021.

Personal life

Swim analysis

Dressel began posting videos deconstructing some of his past swims to his YouTube channel in July 2020.Dressel, Caeleb
"Caeleb Dressel - About"
''YouTube''. Retrieved June 26, 2021. In the first video, he analyzed one of his swims where he set a new world record in the 100-meter butterfly.Dressel, Caeleb (July 17, 2020)
"100m Fly World Record , Dressel Dissect"
''YouTube''. Retrieved June 26, 2021. He has also shared critique of his past races and swims with SwimSwam. SwimSwam (December 4, 2020)
"Caeleb Dressel Breaks Down The Speedo Fastskin LZR 50 Free Sub-20 Challenge"
''YouTube''. Retrieved June 26, 2021. Stewart, Mel (April 8, 2021)
"Caeleb Dressel Plays Swim Nerd Analyst On The ISCA International Cup"
'' SwimSwam''. Retrieved June 26, 2021. Leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics, he ventured into analyses of swimming in pop culture. Dressel provided his perspective to '' GQ'' on swimming scenes from various movies including scenes featuring survival swimming (such as in '' Cast Away'' and '' Kingsman: The Secret Service'') and competitive swimming (as in ''Pride'').GQ Sports (June 22, 2021)
"Olympic Swimmer Caleb Dressel Breaks Down Swimming Scenes from Movies , GQ Sports"
''YouTube''. Retrieved June 26, 2021.

Sponsorships and collaborations

On July 19, 2018, Dressel turned professional by signing a sponsorship deal with swimwear brand Speedo. In September 2020, SPIRE Institute and Academy announced collaborations with Dressel for providing support to students of SPIRE through various avenues such as curriculum development, training, and facilities design. Leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics, one of Dressel's sponsors, Toyota, specially designed a vehicle inspired by his tattoos.McCandless, James (August 11, 2021)
"7-Time Olympic Gold Medal Winner Caeleb Dressel's Tattoos Inspire Custom Toyota Supra Design"
''Newsweek''. Retrieved September 26, 2021.

Marriage

In 2013, Dressel started a romantic relationship with his future wife, Meghan, a child counselor and former breaststroker who competed collegiately for Florida State University, and in 2019 they were engaged.Carlson, Adam; Mizoguchi, Karen (July 29, 2021)
"Swimmer Caeleb Dressel Gets Teary and His Wife Erupts with Joy at His Gold Medal Win: 'I Cry a Lot'"
''People''. Retrieved September 23, 2021."Caeleb Dressel's family join TODAY live from Florida"
'' TODAY''. July 28, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, planning the wedding was one way Dressel stayed busy during quarantine, as was hiking a 60-mile portion of the Appalachian Trail.Wire, Coy; Grez, Matias (April 20, 2020)
"Caeleb Dressel: Even Olympic champions struggle to resist junk food binges during lockdown"
'' CNN''. Retrieved July 3, 2021.Zaccardi, Nick (December 21, 2020)
"Bone Dry: What Caeleb Dressel took away from hiking the Appalachian Trail"
''NBC Sports''. Retrieved July 3, 2021. They married on Valentine's Day weekend, February 13, 2021, in their shared home state of Florida."Team Toyota Athlete: Caeleb Dressel"
''Toyota''. Retrieved September 26, 2021. The couple welcomed a son, August, on February 17, 2024. On November 27, 2024, they announced that they were expecting a second child.

Religion

He was raised Christian in his youth and his faith grew while in college. His large eagle tattoo was inspired by the Bible verse Isaiah 40:31, which he shared with ''Sports Illustrated'' in 2016 is his favorite Bible verse. During his senior year of high school, Dressel gave up swimming for a time because of his struggle with "mental demons", speaking about that period in his life Dressel said:

See also

* List of world records in swimming
* World record progression 100 metres butterfly
* World record progression 50 metres freestyle
* World record progression 100 metres individual medley
* World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
* List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
* List of people from Florida
* Dressel
* Florida Gators swimming and diving
* Speedo
* NCAA Division I men's swimming and diving championships

Meet History, Rankings, Team and LSC Records

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dressel, Caeleb Remel
1996 births
Living people
American male freestyle swimmers
Bolles School alumni
Florida Gators men's swimmers
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming
People from Green Cove Springs, Florida
Sportspeople from Clay County, Florida
Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
World record holders in swimming
YouTubers from Florida
Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year winners
21st-century American sportsmen