The 24-year-old American has won so much at a relatively younger age to make him one of the hottest prospects in the world.
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If Caeleb Dressel’s international achievements are any indication, then he can only get better to rule the swimming world in the near future. It is more surprising when one takes his age into account. At just 24, he has almost won everything possible, with the two Olympic Golds being the biggest of them all. Dressel has also clinched multiple World Championships medals, asserting his dominance in the freestyle and butterfly categories. The multi-talented swimmer has the necessary skillset required to be the next big thing in the sport.
It was at the 2013 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, the public got a chance to witness Dressel’s exploits. He picked up six medals in the tournament, including a 100m freestyle Gold. His watershed moment, however, came only in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Teaming alongside Michael Phelps, Ryan Held, and Nathan Adrian, Caleb won his first Olympic Gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In fact, Dressel swam the lead-off leg in the final as the Americans held on for the Gold. He also finished at the top in the 4×100-meter medley relay.
Following his Rio fireworks, the expectations started to mount on Dressel’s shoulders, yet he continued to maintain his consistency. The 2017 World Aquatics Championships was the first tournament where Caeleb truly dominated his rivals at the grand stage. With seven Gold medals, the American swimmer followed the footsteps of the legendary former swimmer Phelps to command the Championships.
The Gold medals in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly helped him being regarded as one of the top swimmers in the current crop of players. He had a similar impact in the 2019 World Aquatics Championships to win a record eight medals – six of them were Golds. This time Dressel won the butterfly and the freestyle Gold medals in both the 50m and 100m categories. With numerous other accolades to his name, Caeleb is being touted as the top medal hopeful at the Tokyo Olympics. At his prime, swimming fans might be forgiven for expecting him to replicate the dominance shown by his former national colleague Phelps. If Dressel can keep his head down and stay focused, he has the necessary skillset to rule the upcoming Olympics and beyond.
