By Retta Race on SwimSwam
American Olympian Caeleb Dressel was in the news recently, having swum as part of a Gainesville pro group at a University of Florida intrasquad over the weekend.
The multi-gold medalist from both Rio and Tokyo logged times of 19.18 in the 50y freestyle and 47.32 in the 100y butterfly to whet his racing whistle under his relatively new coach choice of Anthony Nesty. Dressel made the move to Nesty from longtime guide Gregg Troy in November of last year.
Dressel’s name was also in the media on a more mainstream scale, as he spoke to the international men’s magazine Maxim. The 25-year-old newlywed spoke on his Olympic glory, having icon Michael Phelps as a mentor and how his post-Tokyo break brought him some much-needed peace.
Recalling how he felt after taking the men’s 100m freestyle, his first event at his 2nd Olympic Games, Dressel told Maxim, “Winning that first gold medal was a hugely satisfying moment. When I knew we’d won, there was a definite release and rush of everything that’d been built up inside. It’s like an emotional overload.
“It was short-lived though, because I still had so much ahead of me at the Olympic Games. I still had a lot of success I wanted to achieve.”
Helping to keep Dressel’s eyes on the prize was the winningest Olympian of all-time, Phelps, of whom Dressel said, “If you’re a swimmer, you look up to Michael. That’s just the way it is.
“At these Olympic Games I probably texted Michael more than my wife! I leaned on him a lot, and he was clear that he was always there for me when I needed. It felt good to know I’d made him so proud.”
Although Dressel indeed raced in the International Swimming League (ISL) in the fall, his heart and soul have been focused on things outside of the water after making such a statement on the world’s biggest stage this summer.
“I just want to make sure I enjoy my time with my family. They’re my biggest support in everything I do, and creating time with them is just as important as anything else.
“I’m still taking in everything that happened in Tokyo, so it’s impossible to get my head around Paris. In fact, it’s better if I don’t think about it, and take a little time to enjoy what I won this summer.”
“Since Tokyo, I’ve just been enjoying the time with my wife. We never got our honeymoon, and so we promised ourselves we’d do that once I got back. That seems like a pretty good celebration to me.” (Maxim)
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Dressel Recaps Tokyo Triumph, Leaning On Phelps, Post-Olympic Break & More