2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
- Budapest, Hungary
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14-time world champion Caeleb Dressel has pulled out of the 2022 World Championships in Budapest. Sources tell SwimSwam that it is not COVID-related, but that has not been confirmed or denied by anybody from Dressel’s camp.
Here is the statement from USA Swimming’s National Team Managing Director Lindsay Mintenko .
After conferring with Caeleb, his coaches and the medical staff, a decision has been made to withdraw him from the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Our priority is and will always be the health of our athletes and we will continue give Caeleb the assistance he needs to recover quickly.
Yesterday, Dressel competed in the prelims of the men’s 100 free but later on went to scratch the semifinals. Back then, USA Swimming said that they were to determine his participation in his other events events later in the meet.
At the 2022 World Championships, Dressel has already two gold medals to his name. He won the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay alongside Brooks Curry, Justin Ress, and Ryan Held, and later went onto win an individual title in the 50 fly. He is a two-time defending World champion in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly, winning all three events in both the 2017 and 2019 editions of the World Championships. His withdrawal means that we will see someone not-named Dressel winning the aforementioned events for the first time since 2015.
Dressel being gone will likely have a major impact on Team USA’s relays, as he was expected to compete on the 4×100 mixed free relay and the 4×100 men’s medley relay later in the meet. His absence was already felt in the mixed medley relay, as without him, Team USA opted to use a male-male-female-female lineup order, something that they haven’t done in a mixed medley final since 2015. They probably wouldn’t have done this if Dressel were here because he is a male flyer/freestyler that will have to be placed on back half of the relay.
Haters will say it’s that max snatch he posted
It’s not that long ago he spoke about his experiences of being in a dark place. If he is there again, I hope the light starts shining for him again as soon as possible. Get well Caeleb.
Miss him. Couod have set two more wr’s!!
Zero percent chance it’s doping related. If it was we’d probably know by now with someone on the inside wanting to be the first to leak what would probably be the biggest swimming story since…probably ever.
With how USA Swimming’s comment is worded, I’m quite certain it’s mental health/stress related. That interview with Graham Bensinger gave great insight as to what he’d be dealing with leading up to Olympics and after the games, and it really wasn’t readily apparent that he’s in all that much of a better place since then.
Why is this article at 300 comments? He scratched due to illness, like a bunch of other swimmers at this meet.
Thanks for contributing to more comments!
Let’s keep it going!
Yea! Let’s go!
The timing of his withdrawl as a showdown loomed with Popovici was suspicious.
Exactly
Today we diagnosed a young man near Dressel’s age with testicular cancer. There are a million medical conditions that could lead to him withdrawing. Many of them require additional imaging and testing to be certain what it is. Dressel is under no obligation to share “I found a lump in my testicle so I’m returning to the US for imaging and biopsy.” In other professional sports, athletes don’t reveal medical conditions until they’re fully diagnosed, including the cardiac/cancer ones.
Actually they usually do if they miss games. It’s actually required in the nfl to put them on the injury report and you get fined big time for lying or not immediately disclosing the injury. There are two injury reports each week during the season. They aren’t required to be super detailed but they do have to disclose if it’s a knee or a head injury and I believe they now even have something for mental conditions. The off season no one cares
Sure there’s always reasons and excuses for American swimmers lol
This is getting weird. People get sick all the time and it saps energy. What is going on with these comments?
Has anyone who is upset on the lack of transparency stopped to think that maybe Dressel doesn’t even know what is wrong with him? And he is stepping away from the meet to….I dunno…figure it out
He has enough info about it to know he doesn’t want to swim anymore this week.
“enough info” could be as much as not feeling well. Have you ever felt like dookie and still gone to swim practice? It sucks.
It’s very possible in the 36 hours since he scratched the 100 free that he isn’t quite sure what his ailment is and doesn’t want to make a public statement yet.
No matter what happened. I hope he gets well soon. Go Caeleb!
What is this based on? Have you heard a rumor or just making something up?