Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel and his wife Meghan announced the birth of their second child, and first daughter, via Instagram this morning.
Josie Eloise Dressel was born on June 23, 2025, at 4:30 AM. She clocked in at 9 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 21 inches long. Josie arrived 16 months after older brother, August Wilder Dressel, who was born on February 17, 2024.
Dressel, the current world record-holder in the LCM 100 fly and men’s 4×100 medley relay and SCM 100 IM and men’s 4×50 free relay, did not compete at U.S. National Championships earlier this month and will not participate at World Championships. He represented the Team USA last summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, placing 6th in the 50 free, winning gold medals in the 4×100 mixed medley and men’s 4×100 freestyle relays, and taking home a silver in the men’s 4×100 medley relay.
After a 10-month post-Olympic break from competition, he made his return in early May at the PSS Fort Lauderdale, swimming the 50 free and 50 fly.
Meghan, who swam at Florida State and specialized in breaststroke, and Caeleb have been together since high school. They were married in February 2021.
They announced the birth on Instagram, writing:
She’s here🥹🙏
While it was far from the birth story we thought it’d be, our hearts are overflowing with joy and gratitude that we are all safe, healthy and here. We could not be more in love with our baby girl and are relishing in the sweetness of being home together as a family and having her in our arms.
Josie Eloise, you have changed and wrecked and made our hearts new. Your brother taught us how deep we could love, and you have taught us how hard and how wide. Welcome to the world baby girl. This crazy family has got you always, and we can’t wait to love you so fiercely forever🩷
We also wanted to take a moment to say a special thank you to our team of providers at Shands Hospital who went above and beyond the call of duty fighting for us and with us through every unexpected curveball. If any of you are reading this, we can never say thank you enough for all you did for our family🤍
Mazel tov to the Dressels on the birth of Josie Eloise! Like my boys did, August will enjoy lunching out with Dad because the baby “has no teeth.”
Time to hang up the goggles. No two-time dad has ever made it onto an American Olympic swim team.
Breastmilk in the bottle bro
thats wild
Wow. Why the down votes on here? People are cranky.
Dressel Lochte Phelps relay 2044 here we go
Aaaaand cue the dumb jokes about a Phelps-Lochte-dressel kid relay
And Nathan Adrian!
I think there’s an Ervin out there too.
And a Murphy and Fink and Grevers… lots of retired athletes have families now..
congratulations Caeleb and Meghan❤️❤️❤️❤️ so cute pics
While it’s none of our business, I do wonder what the “curveball” was and why it wasn’t the birth they expected.
Congratulations, Dressels! Hope everyone is happy and healthy.
Looks like a c-section baby
Was it them last time who made a great big deal about no drugs for the mum at the last birth? And we said no one cares as long as Mum and Bub are ok. Boasting about lack of drugs needed for a birth is not a flex.
A single sentence about “an intervention free birth [they] hoped for” is FAR from boasting about a lack of drugs.
You, random swim-swam commenter might not care, but Meghan & Caeleb’s friends do.
It’s hardly boasting, just feeling grateful that everything went according to plan. Many many things can go “wrong” when delivering a baby even if you are young and healthy like Meghan is. Having your birth go how you hoped it would is a blessing many people don’t get.
Looks like the first couple of pics are in an operating room meaning c section which can happen for a number of reasons, prolonged labor/breech positioning/non reassuring fetal heart tones and more…serious stuff beyond that.
Happy for Meghan and Caleb. Makes total sense he opted not to compete at nationals to try to make the worlds team.
I wonder if he will show up to TYR Summer Champs to try to qualify for pan pacs next summer.