Explaining US swimming sensation Caeleb Dressel's tattoos

Caeleb Dressel needs no introduction. The 24-year-old American is undoubtedly one of the most talented swimmers in modern-day sport.

The ace sprint swimmer currently holds four individual world records — 100m butterfly (49.50 seconds in Long Course and 47.78 seconds in Short Course), 50m Freestyle (20.16 seconds in Short Course) and 100m individual medley (49.28 seconds in Short Course).

Currently America's best male swimmer in sprint events, Caeleb Dressel is known not only for his records but also for his striking tattoos. In this article, we will reveal the significance of all his tattoos and what they mean.

Without further ado, here they are:

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#1 Eagle Tattoo

Caeleb Dressel at the end of a swim (Image Credits - Dressel's Instagram Account)

Caeleb Dressel's eagle tattoo is placed on his left shoulder. One of the wings of the eagle tattoo extends to his left chest and back. The tattoo has been inked by popular tattoo artist James Cumberland.

Earlier, the ace sprint swimmer also had a tattoo of the American flag on his right arm. The eagle tattoo perfectly complemented the flag, with both representing his love for the country.

The tattoos help Dressel's fans to easily identify him when he is swimming at competitions.

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#2 Bear Tattoo

Dressel during Team USA Portraits For Tokyo 2021

Caeleb Dressel now sports a bear tattoo on his left upper arm. He feels that the bear is his spirit animal and perfectly depicts his soul. James Cumberland is once again the artist behind the finely-crafted tattoo.

As can be seen in the tattoo, the bear looks ferocious. The correlation is easy to see as swimming is also a sport that requires athletes to channelize aggression in a positive manner.

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#3 Gator Tattoo

Notice the gator on Caeleb Dressel's forearm (Image credits - Dressel's Instagram Account)

Caeleb Dressel also sports the tattoo of an alligator on his left forearm. The youngster inked this tattoo as a tribute to the University of Florida, his alma mater. The football team of the University of Florida has the alligator as its emblem. Again, artist James Cumberland inked this tattoo.

In an interview with the Swimming World, Dressel opened up about the idea behind the tattoos on his left arm:

"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."

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#4 Olympic Rings Tattoo

Notice the Olympic Rings on Dressel's right arm

This one is probably the easiest to understand. For every athlete, competing at the Olympic Games is the biggest dream. Caeleb Dressel has a tattoo of colored Olympic Rings on his right upper forearm, inked by none other than James Cumberland.

The youngster won 2 gold medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The first one came in 4×100-meter freestyle relay with the second gold following in 4×100-meter medley relay.

Since then, Dressel has been at the forefront of men's swimming. The young swimmer clinched as many as seven gold medals at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest. At the 2019 World Championships, Caeleb Dressel bagged 6 golds and two silver medals. He also recently bagged the top prize in the men's 200 freestyle event at the Pro Swim Series meet.

The swimming sensation will soon be seen in action at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where he hopes to continue his sensational form to grab more medals for the USA.

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Comment below on the number of gold medals you think Caeleb Dressel will bag at the sporting extravaganza.