“She’s so good at saying no” – Caeleb Dressel on what he learnt from Katie Ledecky

Caeleb Dressel is probably the United States' best swimmer at present. He is a seasoned professional who has had a very successful career so far, with seven Olympic gold medals to his name.

While there are many great swimmers across the globe, Dressel is undoubtedly the best short-distance swimmer in the world. As the American continues to dominate the 50 and 100-meter swims, his University of Florida professional squad teammate Katie Ledecky dominates the game in endurance swims.

She is a national superstar in the pool, with seven Olympic golds and 19 golds at the World Championships.

Ledecky and Dressel at the Golden Goggle Awards, 2021 (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

In an interview with Brett Hawke, the host of 'Inside with Brett Hawke', in 2022, Dressel was asked about Ledecky's performance and what he learned from watching her train. In response, Dressel said:

"Yeah, I picked up on it very quick. I think there are a lot of differences between me and Katie but also regarding the sport of swimming, there are a lot of similarities in how we approach it.

"We just want to shut up and swim. It's as simple as that. But she does such a good job, if she doesn't want to do something, she's so good at saying 'No'."

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Dressel on learning from Katie

Dressel is a seasoned athlete, but he highlighted the fact that sometimes, athletes find it difficult to say no to additions to their schedule or even sponsorship opportunities.

"Like maybe potential sponsors or even ISL is a good example," he added. "It didn't really fit her schedule, and so [she said] 'Nah, I don't want to do it', and that's the first thing I picked up on."

ISL stands for International Swimming League. It was established as a professional league providing a platform for pro teams to compete.

In 2022, Ledecky went on record stating that she refused to participate in the league because she was busy preparing for the Worlds. He continued:

"She really knows how to prioritize herself first, have that balance and be able to just say 'Nope, doesn't really fit my program, I'm not going to do it'. That's something I learned from her and it's been really good for me."

Dressel then attested to Ledecky's positive attitude and lauded her as a teammate.

"She's just really fun to have in practice," he said. "I think she's enjoying it, I think she's very much enjoying it."

Ledecky at the Toyota U.S. Open, 2022 (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Ledecky is a master at the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyles, with every type of medal to her name. Dressel then narrated a story that shone a light on how prolific a long-distance swimmer Ledecky is.

"Actually yesterday's practice was really funny," he continued. "We were just getting enough time on the wall to rest and the whole guys team was making up scenarios like 'who would win in a 300 IM, 150 meter, 100 backstroke?' ..., and I was like, 'I think I can hang on for 310 meters against Katie but no more', I'd be fighting for my life!"

Dressel finally addressed how much he loves being a part of his team and how well they gel together. Here's what he had to say:

"The group we have, the chemistry, especially with the Worlds team ... I've never been a part of anything like it ... you don't have to try at all, everyone's just there to get better... but then you can also have a good time."