Not long after Caeleb Dressel reached the wall on Saturday night, securing the USA’s first gold of the Paris Olympics, his teammate Hunter Armstrong was moved to tears as he accepted his medal at the podium.
Dressel understood the emotion. Eight years prior, he was the promising newcomer who became emotional after winning his first two golds during his Olympic debut in Rio. Now, at nearly 28, the Florida native serves as the experienced leader of a youthful US swim team striving to compete with their Australian counterparts.
“You can’t help it,” Dressel remarked. “You can’t describe this moment until you’re up on the podium seeing the flag rise. Hunter’s feelings came before the flag was even raised. Witnessing that is incredibly special. I remember my first gold; I was overwhelmed. I made it off the podium, but it was such a special experience to share with these guys. No one can take that moment away from us.”
Dressel played a crucial role in averting a rare day-one shutout for the United States at the Summer Olympics by anchoring the team to a second consecutive 4x100m freestyle title. He was handed a significant lead by Armstrong’s impressive third leg, with Chris Guiliano and Jack Alexy also contributing strong starts, as he finished with a time of 3min 9.28sec, beating Australia by 1.07sec.
This marked Dressel’s eighth Olympic medal, all of them gold, continuing one of the most remarkable records in Olympic history. Only Usain Bolt and Ray Ewry have matched this achievement of winning eight Olympic medals without any silver or bronze.
Although Armstrong was part of the winning 4x100m medley team in Tokyo, where he won Olympic gold as a prelims swimmer, this was his first title in a final. As the US team received their medals, the arena filled with raucous chants of “U-S-A!” from the fervent crowd in the 13,100-seat venue, which will witness swimming competitions over the upcoming eight days.
“Relays hold a different significance, to be honest,” Dressel noted. “Being able to achieve this with these guys has been phenomenal. It brings back memories of my first gold. This never gets old. Standing on the podium with these guys, watching the flag rise, it’s extraordinary. I’m immensely proud of them; it made my job much easier.”
After triumphantly raising his fists in celebration and embracing his teammates, Dressel swiftly sought out his wife, Meghan, and their five-month-old son August Wilder, who enjoyed the night alongside rapper Snoop Dogg, seen joyously celebrating with the Dressel family as the US secured gold.
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“It’s genuinely special,” Dressel expressed. “Competing in front of [my son] and winning a gold while he’s there, it’s checking off milestones I didn’t even think to create throughout my journey. Tonight was truly significant.”
Dressel’s journey to his third Olympics was anything but simple. In 2022, less than a year after his five-gold success in Tokyo, he stepped away during the world championships to take an eight-month hiatus from swimming to focus on his mental well-being. When he returned for the following year’s US national championships, Dressel struggled, failing to qualify for the A-final in either sprint freestyle event.
Having been perceived as the heir to Michael Phelps after tying the record with seven golds at the 2017 world championships, Dressel admitted he faced challenges under the immense pressure of expectations. However, he has methodically worked his way back on his own terms, positioning himself for the chance to defend his Tokyo titles in both the 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle in the upcoming week.
