Caeleb Dressel's Olympic gold rush starts with unusual gesture

Caeleb Dressel has been tipped as the man that could win seven gold medals at Tokyo 2020, which explains why he has already given one away!

The United States swimming sensation was part of the team that won gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle on Monday (26 July).

After the medal presentation, cameras panned onto the Florida native, who ran up to the bleachers to give his first gold medal of the Games to a teammate that wasn’t swimming in the final.

Brooks Curry ensured that Dressel was fresh for the final by swimming in his place during the qualifying heats.

Dressel wanted to recognise his compatriot’s efforts in helping the team win gold. Swimming is typically seen as an individual sport, but this wholesome gesture demonstrates perfectly how important the team is in any victory.

"I had the easiest job last night out of everyone here. I got to watch it on TV," Dressel said after the race. "So I felt like [Brooks] deserved that a little more than me."

If anyone appreciates Curry's effort, it's Dressel.

At the Rio 2016 Olympics, he swam in the 4x100m medley relay heats in place of Nathan Adrian, before watching the final from the stands as Adrian anchored the team to victory. Happily for Dressel he was able to line up in the 4x100m freestyle final to win gold alongside Michael Phelps, Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian.

Multi-event champion

History tells us that it is very likely Dressel will land multiple golds in Japan.

The sprinting sensation landed a record-equalling seven gold medals at the 2017 World Championships, before winning a record-breaking total of eight medals at the 2019 version of the meet.

Michael Phelps holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals at one Games with eight, which is unlikely to be broken at Tokyo 2020.

Dressel's target is seven. He is the gold medal favourite in the men’s 50m and 100m freestyle sprints, as well as the 100m butterfly. Then he will likely be involved in the 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, and the newly-added 4x100m mixed medley relays. There is an outside chance that he could also appear in the men's 4x200m relay too.

The potential history-making doesn't end there. If Dressel manages to win his three individual events, he will become just the third man to do it. Mark Spitz won four events at Munich 1972, while Phelps won four events at Athens 2004 and five at Beijing 2008.