10-time Olympic swimming medalist Caeleb Dressel is happy to be back on his Florida farm after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. His Olympic results were mixed. He fought hard, earning more golds, but he didn’t have the Olympics he wanted. At a minimum, he’s just glad he did it, went to Paris, because there were two moments when he thought he might not go at all.
Dressel thought a repeat of the 2022 World Championship would happen, when he abruptly left in the middle of the competition.
After making The U.S. Olympic Team at the U.S. Olympic Trials, in the middle of that Indy meet, Dressel considered pulling out. Mentally he was battling it–at war in his own head. His wife, parents, and therapist were all there, all supporting him. So, he pushed on.
After the U.S. Olympic Trials, Dressel considered pulling out again. He wondered if it would be better to give other, up and coming swimmers a shot at the Paris Olympic stage. Dressel battled these thoughts, ruminating over them. At one point, he considered only swimming the Olympic relays. It all made sense in his head. We now know Dressel completed his Olympic schedule, and in this podcast he gives a beat-by-beat account of what he experienced. It’s real, raw, and courageously vulnerable.
Dressel also covers that he was misquoted or taken out of context in the recent AP Report that said he’d compete until LA2028. Dressel is considering it, even reaching out to older Olympic gold medalists for advice. He unpacks this with a lot of detail.
Dressel has not done the full Olympic debrief with Coach Anthony Nesty yet. That will happen in the next few weeks, and that will be the start of what his competitive swimming future looks like, or if there will be a competitive future.
Dressel would love to be in Rowdy Gains’ NBC chair. A swim nerd at heart, Dressel would love to be a swimming analyst.
Dressel wants to provide no cost content to kids. He’s a little uncomfortable with the traditional clinic business. He would like provide no cost eduction to swimmers to gain real insight into what it takes to swim fast.
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This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
I’m going to agree, best interview ever. And to Caeleb, anyone can be happy when things are going great….the way you showed up AFTER the heartbreak of the 100 fly, …THAT is monumental. Paris was successful because you showed that even when things got really tough, you still persevered and showed up for your team. SO happy for you and your family.
What a fantastic interview.
Ok, I’m now a Dressel fan. As the father of a 20-something daughter who has struggled with an anxiety disorder her whole life, I appreciate Dressel’s openness on the issue. Inspiring.
Gold Medal Mel is an amazing interviewer.
…Dressel is the easiest person to drop into a conversation with. Dressel puts any person interviewing him at ease.
Dressel has more hardware than most swimmers can dream of. I think focusing on the 50 is a very smart idea.
Regarding pressure, athletes across all sports feel it, and respond in different ways. Hopefully, he can get a handle on that.
At the same time, gratitude is something a lot of athletes need to be mindful of. They make a lot of money, go to good schools, and most, especially in swimming, come from families who provide a lot of love and support, and have with plenty of money to begin with.
From that perspective, one of the wealthiest athletes in the history of sports put it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiCjqGACri0
This is the best discussion of mental health I have ever seen.
I think this is my favorite swimswam interview ever.
…thanks, and more to come…
I totally agree. Still thinking about it. Made me love the guy more. Wishing him and his lovely family all the best. I hope he manages to round up his chickens.
We are in awe of you because of your talent, dedication and what you have accomplished,
but we love you just because of who you are and the vulnerability that you show.
Showing emotion isn’t a weakness’s. On the contrary, it’s incredibly brave.