Record-setting swimmer Caeleb Dressel is headed back to the Olympics, where the former Florida Gators star will be among the most high-profile American athletes competing in Tokyo.
Dressel closed out the U.S. Olympic trials Sunday night in dramatic fashion, tying his own American record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 21.04 to qualify for his fourth event. He also will swim the 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 4×100 freestyle relay race.
When other relays are factored in, Dressel could compete in as many as seven events when the swimming competition is staged July 24-Aug. 1 in Tokyo-.
Dressel could be favored to win every race he enters, giving him a shot at seven gold medals — a feat achieved in 1972 in Munich by Mark Spitz and ultimately bettered by Michael Phelps with eight golds in 2008 in Beijing.
Dressel won the 100 butterfly Saturday night in Omaha, Neb., with a time of 49.87, or 1.32 seconds better than the next competitor. Dressel has recorded five of the six fastest times in the history of the 100 fly.
On Thursday night, Dressel met suffocating expectations to kick off his trials with a victory in the men’s 100 freestyle.
“It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” Dressel said following the win. “I’m excited to get the job done and move forward.”
Dressel will lead the U.S. men’s team into his second Olympic Games.
When he still was a student at UF, Dressel won two gold medals on relay teams at the 2016 Rio Games. The 24-year-old from Green Cove Springs, located 53 miles east of Gainesville, has combined for 15 medals between the last two world championships.
Dressel is not the only Gators swimmer bound for the Olympics.
UF rising senior Bobby Finke qualified for the 800 free Thursday and the 1,500 free Sunday night with a personal-best time of 14:46.06 to win by nearly 15 seconds. The international stage and success are nothing new to Finke. He swam during the 2017 World Championship team when he was a junior in high school in Tampa.
Kieran Smith, also a UF junior in 2021, qualified for the Tokyo Games in the 200 and 400 freestyle. Smith also will race for the 4×200 freestyle relay for the U.S. team.
Former Gators swimmer Natalie Hinds qualified for the 4×100 freestyle women’s relay team.
Gator legend Ryan Lochte’s bid for a fifth Olympics ended when the 36-year-old finished seventh Friday night in the 200 individual medley. Lochte’s 12 Olympic medals, including six golds, are second only to Phelps in U.S. Olympic history.
“I really wanted to be on this Olympic team,” a tearful Lochte said. “This is probably my most important swim meet that I’ve ever had in my entire career, the one that meant the most to me. So falling short and feeling like I let everyone down was one of the hardest things.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at [email protected] .
