Why was Caeleb Dressel crying during his win at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021?

When it comes to freestyle, butterfly, and individual medleys, Caeleb Dressel is one of the most popular American swimmers in the current competitive scene. He has won gold medals in popular events like the World Aquatics Championships, World Swimming Championships, and even the Olympics.

The 2020 Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021 was an emotional ride for Caeleb Dressel as he won his first individual Olympic gold medal at the event. The win affected him so much that he could not hold back tears once he was announced as the winner.

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Caeleb Dressel’s emotional win at the 2020 Summer Olympics

Back in 2021, when Caeleb Dressel cinched first position in the 100 metres Freestyle category, it was his first individual gold at the reputed international tournament. He has secured Olympic gold medals before, but those were relays. The American swimmer has won gold in the following categories before:

• 4 x 100 Metres Freestyle (2016 Rio Olympics)
• 4 x 100 Metres Medley (2016 Rio Olympics)
• 4 x 100 Metres Freestyle (2020 Tokyo Olympics)

He completed the 100 Meters Freestyle race in 47.02 seconds, thereby creating a new Olympic record. He broke Eamon Sullivan’s record of 47.05 seconds that the Australian swimmer created in 2008. Cesar Cielo holds the world record in the category at 46.91 seconds.

After winning the 100 metres Freestyle race, Caeleb Dressel was overcome with emotion as he sat on the lane marker basking in his victory. A while later, in an interview with NBC Olympics, he struggled to hold back his tears and expressed the following:

"I don't know if it's really set in yet. Right now, I'm just kind of hurting. But it's … it was a really tough year. It's really hard. So to have the results show up, it really came together, so I'm happy."

The 100 metres Freestyle was not the only individual gold medal that Caeleb won at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He went on to win in the following categories:

• 50 Metres Freestyle
• 100 Metres Butterfly
• 4 x 100 Metres Medley

Here are all the medals that he has won in his entire career as a senior American swimmer:

World Aquatics Championships

2017 (Budapest) – Gold

• 50 Metres Freestyle
• 100 Metres Freestyle
• 100 Metres Butterfly
• 4 x 100 Metres Freestyle
• 4 x 100 Metres Medley
• 4 x 100 Metres Mixed Freestyle
• 4 x 100 Metres Mixed Medley

2019 (Gwangju)

Here are all the gold medals that Caeleb Dressel won at the World Aquatics Championships 2019:

• 50 Metres Freestyle
• 50 Metres Butterfly
• 100 Metres Freestyle
• 100 Metres Butterfly
• 4 x 100 Metres Freestyle
• 4 x 100 Metres Mixed Freestyle

Here are all the silver medals that Caeleb Dressel won at the World Aquatics Championships 2019:

• 4 x 100 Metres Mixed Medley
• 4 x 100 Metres Medley

2022 (Budapest) – Gold

• 50 Metres Butterfly
• 4 x 100 Metres Freestyle

World Swimming Championships 2018

Here are all the gold medals that Caeleb Dressel won at the World Swimming Championships 2019:

• 100 Metres Freestyle
• 4 x 50 Metres Freestyle
• 4 x 100 Metres Freestyle
• 4 x 100 Metres Medley
• 4 x 50 Metres Mixed Freestyle
• 4 x 50 Metres Mixed Medley

Here are all the silver medals that Caeleb Dressel won at the World Swimming Championships 2019:

• 50 Metres Freestyle
• 100 Metres Butterfly
• 4 x 50 Metres Medley

Pan Pacific Championships 2018

• 100 Metres Butterfly (Gold)
• 4 x 100 Metres Medley (Gold)
• 50 Metres Freestyle (Silver)
• 100 Metres Freestyle (Silver)
• 4 x 100 Metres Mixed Medley (Bronze)

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