“Things that I like and things I want to be on my body” – When Caeleb Dressel opened up about his tattoos 

US swimmer Caeleb Dressel is well on his way to greatness. Riding high on his massive victory of five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, Dressel is already a household name.

The 26-year-old swimmer is not only famous for his speed in the water but for his tattoos too. With the Olympic rings on his forearm, the symbolic Gator, and the intricately detailed arm sleeve, Caeleb Dressel's tattoos have drawn much intrigue from fans.

In May this year, Dressel sat down for an interview with former Olympic swimmer Brett Hawke on the latter's YouTube channel, 'Inside with Brett Hawke'. While chatting about multiple topics, Hawke asked him how he selects his tattoos.

He responded by saying that it's just things that he likes, but his tattoos are also a representation of who he is. He said:

"It's gonna sound so dumb but basically just things I like. I mean that's basically how I did, things I like and things that I want to be on my body. I am not just gonna put anything that I like on my body but I just try to make the process as fun as it could be and then I don't know, have it be a representative of who I am, what I like,"

Caeleb Dressel further added that being a swimmer, he can't be "too expressive". So he uses tattoos as a form of self-expression. Dressel added:

"We are in a sport where you don't get to wear any clothes, so you can't really be too expressive so I feel like for me that's what the the tattoos do. I like big ones as you can see. I mean like honestly I only consider I have two tattoos, one on my arm, one on my leg. But yeah it's just a fun way to express myself,"

He also said that his brother also has a lot of tattoos and if he didn't have any, then Dressel probably wouldn't have had them done either.

Brett Hawke asked him if he had a favorite amongst his tattoos. Dressel responded that he didn't have one and even if he did he would never admit it and the reason for his denial is actually amusing.

"I don't think I do. I mean the leg is still going on. I was planning on finishing that after Worlds but I don't know even if I did, I could say it out loud because then it would mess with me like, 'oh this is my favourite one out of everything that's permanently on my body'. So, I am not, even if I did, I probably couldn't admit it,"

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What is the meaning of some of the tattoos of Caeleb Dressel?

Caeleb Dressel (Credits Tom Pennington / Getty Images)

Whenever anybody gets a tattoo done, the design usually means something or is symbolic to something important to the person. Caeleb Dressel has said that his tattoos are a form of self-expression. So what meaning do his tattoos hold? Here's taking a look at a few of them.

Perhaps the most common and popular tattoo the Olympic champion has is of the Olympic rings on his forearm. The design is extremely popular among Olympians, who proudly wear it.

The tattoo lining his other forearm is of an alligator 'Gator', a tribute to the University of Florida where he trains. The Gator is a symbol of the university's football team.

His entire arm sleeve tattoo is dedicated to Florida. In an interview with Swimming World, he said:

"The whole sleeve is Florida-themed. I've got oranges... orange blossoms. I've got the gator (alligator). And then the black bear and an eagle. I love bears... my favorite animal. All the animals are native to Florida. I have some Magnolia flowers on the inside as well,"

Caeleb Dressel also has American flag and eagle tattoos. Both representative of the love for his country.

He feels the bear is his spirit animal and has it tattooed on his arm.

Most of Dressel's tattoos are done by tattoo artist James Cumberland.