From battling severe depression to smiling at the finish line at Olympic trials, Caeleb Dressel returns for another shot at glory at Paris 2024

Caeleb Dressel is one of the most cherished swimmers in America with seven Olympic and 15 World Championships gold medals under his belt. However, his journey to the pinnacle of swimming has been far from smooth waters.

Dressel suffered from severe anxiety and depression around the 2020 Tokyo Olympics even after having a successful run. He clinched five gold medals in Tokyo, including the 50m and 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle, and 4x100 medley. The absence of Michael Phelps in the events placed immense pressure on Dressel.

Despite having a victorious streak, the American swimmer was discontent with his timings and with unmet expectations, leading to depression. During an interview with Graham Bensinger following the Olympics, he said:

"I didn't hit any of my goal times in Tokyo. And that's not fair to myself. That's not fair at all. Like I just won five gold medals on the biggest world stage in sports, and I'm thinking about how I wish I would've gone faster in certain events."

Following the Tokyo Olympics, Dressel took a step back from the pool and withdrew from competing at the International Swimming League. However, showing the heart of a champion, Dressel returned to the sport in early 2023, competing at the World Championships Team Trials in Greensboro.

A year later, Dressel was seen competing at the Olympic Trials, pursuing another Olympic glory to further cement his impressive career.

Caeleb Dressel advances to men's 100m freestyle final at the 2024 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials

Caeleb Dressel looks on after the Men's 100m freestyle semifinal at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Caeleb Dressel is competing at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials for the fourth time, in the 100m freestyle, an event in which he secured a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Dressel displayed a notable performance in Indianapolis, finishing in third place in the heats after clocking a time of 47.82 seconds, on Day 4 of the Trials. He finished behind Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano, who registered 47.08 and 47.65 seconds, respectively.

Later, on Day 4, he grabbed a spot to compete in the final, posting a time of 47.53 seconds after finishing behind the same athletes in third place. He was seen beaming with satisfaction at the finish line following the race. The final round of the event will be held on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

Caeleb Dressel is also expected to compete in the men's 50m freestyle event, the heats and semifinals of which are slated for Thursday, June 20, 2024, with the final round on the following day.