Is Caeleb Dressel headed for retirement?

Caeleb Dressel, often termed 'the next Michael Phelps,' is considered to be one of the top swimmers to have competed in an Olympic event. He has competed in two Olympic events and has won nothing but gold, numerically seven!

Dressel has been out of action since leaving the July 2022 World Championships midway. However, in that event too, he looked in form, winning two golds, one in the 50-meter butterfly and the other in the 4x100-meter freestyle.

Due to his elongated break, fans and experts are speculating about his retirement. But the seven-time Olympic gold medalist has been silent about it.

Dressel at the 2022 Phillips 66 International Team Trials

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Will Caeleb Dressel make a comeback?

The 2024 Paris Olympics will now be the center of attention. Dressel will be required once again if the US is to maintain its lead in the most prestigious international sporting competition.

The last time everyone saw Caeleb Dressel talking about swimming was in September 2022. He shared an Instagram post and talked about not swimming since the World Championships in his caption.

"Hey friends I haven’t been on here at all but I wanted to share an update with what I’ve been up to. I haven’t swam since worlds and can honestly say I have been happy without swimming. I really miss it though."

However, Dressel wrote in the last line of his caption that he will be back,

"I’ll be back."

With this post, Caeleb Dressel almost cleared all of the doubts about his retirement. His caption proved that he just needed a break and is talking one.

"I know I can have swimming and happiness. I had them both at one point in my life and I’m working on it. If you need a break, take one."

Even legendary Michael Phelps retired in 2012 after the London Olympics. He returned to swimming to compete in yet another Olympics in Rio. So it is very obvious that Dressel is taking a much-needed break and will be back before the Paris Olympics.

In May last year, Caeleb Dressel spoke in-depth about the performance pressure he was experiencing in the run-up to Tokyo in an interview with Brett Hawke for the Inside with Brett Hawke podcast.

Dressel talked about how his objective for this year was to establish a balance between swimming and his personal life. He gave the example of leaving a meeting early in February to be with his wife on their first anniversary despite having originally planned to race in the meet.

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Can Caeleb Dressel compete in Paris Olympics?

The answer to this question is - Yes! And why not? He is just 26 years old. The peak time for a swimmer is 26 to 30 years. And by the time the Paris Olympics arrives, he will be just 28 years old. All he needs to do is get back at right time and compete in the U.S. Olympic trials.

All Caeleb Dressel desires is more quality time with his loved ones. Nothing is taken for granted by him. He will shortly start getting ready for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

At least seven companies have previously endorsed Dressel, including Speedo, NOBULL, and Hershey's.