USA swimming star Caeleb Dressel reflects on Paris 2024 Olympics, ponders his future in the pool
With 10 Olympic medals to his name, you’d think Team USA swimmer Caeleb Dressel was overjoyed with his accomplishments.
But like any true athlete, he still believes there’s room for improvement.
The 27 year-old Dressel took two golds at Paris 2024 in the 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m mixed medley relay. He also achieved the silver medal in the 4x100m medley relay.
Three years ago in Tokyo, the Florida-born Olympian took an astonishing five gold medals across a number of individual and team events.
Caeleb Dressel (third from left) took silver in the men's 4x100m medley relay at Paris 2024.
Despite taking three medals in the French capital, it wasn’t Dressel’s best performance at an Olympic Games.
He failed to advance to the 100m butterfly finals — for which he took gold at Tokyo 2020 — and finished sixth in the 50m freestyle.
So where does the 27-year-old Dressel see himself going from here? He spoke exclusively to Olympics.com about his Paris 2024 experience.
"I'm proud of myself, of how I handled myself throughout these Games, and it wasn't easy,” he said.
“This whole year, the comeback, the training. I didn't get exactly the results I wanted individually, to be honest, but it's just what comes with the sport. So these [medals] mean a lot to me, just with the journey back that it was.”
Dressel went on to explain that for him Paris was an Olympic Games full of ups and downs, and after achieving so much at Tokyo 2020, he found it hard to go again.
So much so that when he’s lined up alongside the wealth of swimming talent that Team USA possesses, he can sometimes feel inadequate.
“Every Games I feel like I have imposter syndrome, that I don't deserve to be here,” he told Olympics.com.
“It's tough to make it through our trials. [But I enjoy] getting to know the new faces I've gotten to see this year, and then watching new faces get on the podium for the first time. I know how it felt for me in Rio, being on the podium for the first time.
"Watching someone's first world record, all these special moments where it really feels like a team. And camp! Camp is my favorite part. That's where Team USA becomes Team USA here.”
Caeleb Dressel celebrates with his family after a race at Paris 2024.
Despite his aforementioned “ups and downs,” there’s no doubt that Paris 2024 will always hold a sweet spot in Dressel’s career as the first Games that he was able to share with his son.
“Having my son in the stands was really special. Getting to hold him. Just bringing him on the pool deck. It’s a part of my life that I've had for 22 years [and I get to] bring him into that realm,” Dressel beamed.
“I don't even know if I want him to swim. I kind of want him to play baseball. So we'll see. We'll see what he ends up doing.”
As the countdown to LA 2028 begins, many athletes on Team USA will be looking forward to potentially competing in an Olympic Games on home soil. Dressel, though, has yet to decide if he’ll be there as a competitor.
“I kind of shiver thinking about trying to compete in another Games, just finishing [Paris 2024] out, this takes a lot out of you,” he said.
“But of course I would love to compete in front of a home crowd. That's always been my dream for any major competition. I've never had that opportunity.
“I'm not sure where I'll be four years down the road, but I'll either be in the stands or behind the block, so it'll be one of those.”