Caeleb Dressel’s 8 Medals Set Single-Meet Record at Worlds

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

With the United States’ second-place finish in the men’s 4×100 medley Sunday night in Gwangju, Caeleb Dressel secured his eighth medal of this 2019 FINA World Championships championships, setting a single-meet record.

He won gold in the 50 and 10o free, 50 and 100 fly, 4×100 mixed and men’s free relays, and silver on both the 4×100 mixed and men’s medley relays. He set an American record in the 100 free and world record in the 100 fly and mixed 4×100 free relays.

Dressel himself was an owner of the previous medals record, having earned seven in 2017, as did Michael Phelps in 2007 and 2011, Australian Michael Klim in 1998, and American Matt Biondi in 1986. Notably, mixed relays were not a part of the Worlds program until 2015, meaning Dressel had two additional medal opportunities on his predecessors.

The 22-year-old now ranks third in Worlds history behind Phelps and Lochte in caliber of medals (13 gold and two silver), but additionally trails Nathan Adrian, Hackett, and Sun Yang in medal quantity.

All-Time Worlds Medalists – Men:

Rank Swimmer Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Michael Phelps United States 26 6 1 33
2 Ryan Lochte United States 18 5 4 27
3 Caeleb Dressel United States 13 2 15
4 Sun Yang China 11 2 3 16
5 Ian Thorpe Australia 11 1 1 13
6 Grant Hackett Australia 10 6 3 19
7 Nathan Adrian United States 10 4 2 16
8 Aaron Peirsol United States 10 2 12
9 Adam Peaty Great Britain 8 1 1 10
10 Michael Klim Australia 7 2 2 11

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Wondering
4 years ago

13 golds in 15 races is a pretty slick ratio

ACC fan
4 years ago

Love me some Caleb, but with the new mixed relays this comparison is just inaccurate.

Sqimgod
4 years ago

To become the GOAT u gotta win 5 or more INDIVIDUAL golds at an Olympic games. preferably in world record fashion.

JudgeNot
4 years ago

Well done Caeleb! And I enjoyed your interviews too. Can’t wait for 2020.

Paul Goldberg
4 years ago

This is all great but remember prior to 1973 there were no world championships and until recently there was no ability for American swimmers to compete once they left their universities because no pros were allowed to compete. Nobody knows how many medals Mark Spitz might have won, he won 9 golds and 2 bronze medals in two Olympics, he was lucky his senior year in high school was in 1968, his senior year at Indiana was 1972. After that he was done because he could not make money as a swimmer and continue to compete so he retired. In that era only Chet Jastremski who was in med school, and Gary Hall same thing, really were able to continue… Read more »

6-beat kick
4 years ago

Would not have happened without the mixed relays, which shouldn’t be a thing. His four individual golds are what is most impressive here.

Ben
Reply to  6-beat kick
4 years ago

Why shouldn’t they be a thing? They’re fun to watch (especially the mixed medley), the athletes clearly enjoy them as the men and women rarely get to compete with each other, and relays are always a great way to end a session. More of them means more sessions ending with a relay.

Hmm....
Reply to  Ben
4 years ago

Mixed medleys are not fun to watch

Chaitha D.
4 years ago

49.33 and 49.28

Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

Caeleb Dressel will win NINE golds in Tokyo will officially become THE GOAT.

You heard it here first

JomSwim22
Reply to  Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

Winning 9 won’t make him GOAT.

Ben
Reply to  Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

He’d need to add three events in order to do that, considering that two of the medals he won here aren’t contended at the Olympics.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Ben
4 years ago

Exactly. This is the kind of idiotic over-the-top, not even thinking hype about Dressel that is maddening. The kid is a great swimmer, but he’s not going to win the Tokyo 200 IM, so stop it. He’s not going to win the Tokyo 200 free, so stop it. And he’s not going to beat Peaty in the 100 breast, as so many claimed when he went a 50 scy, so stop it. He’s going to have his hands full as it is trying to win his primary events and giving better splits on relays (instead of 0.2-0.3 better than his flat start times) to bail his countrymen out, like Phelps always did.

Camelboar
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

With caelebs progression I can see him winning more events in the years to come. He’s doing a great job and kicked absolute butt at these World Champs. Let’s see if he swims the 2IM and 2free at nats and what he goes.

Blackflag82
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

You’re right on all of this. The thing is, folks being excited and exaggerating what is possible (if Swim Swam had been around some people would have probably been predicting 10 gold’s for Phelps), is just that, excitement. Of course there are outlandish claims, but those don’t force you into the bitter know-it-all you became. I realize a lot of what you said toward the end was trolling, but it’s pretty clear it didn’t begin that way. So take a page out of your own comment book and “stop it.” Plenty of us disagree with statements about nine gold.medals without turning mean like you often do…

Hmm....
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

49.2 fly splits ARE bailing out your countrymen, and faster than Phelps ever swam….

Wondering
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

In 2009, Phelps was 49.82 individual 100 fly…. and 49.72 on relay start…..

So Caeleb not only swam faster…. in a textile suit… but also inproved more on his relay performance….

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

No, we’ve heard it about a million times over the last year or more.

Wondering
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

And he backed it up this week. Four individual swims, four golds, four American records, one world record.

And it kills you….

Packoastie
Reply to  Texas Tap Water
4 years ago

What 9 events will he win?

DEAN IS GOD
Reply to  Packoastie
4 years ago

First of all, I don’t agree with the 9 golds, however these are the events I think he is likely to win gold in (NOT guaranteed, as seen with the medley relay)

(x)=Threat

50 free (Proud, Fratus)
100 free (Chalmers, maybe Grinev)
100 fly
4×100 free relay
4×100 medley relay (GB, Russia)
4×100 mixed medley (Australia, Russia)
4×200 free relay (Australia)

These are the events with an EXTREMELY low chance to even make the team or medal in
200 free
200 IM

100 breast isn’t happening. Miller, Wilson, Finnerty, Andrew

iLkePsych
Reply to  DEAN IS GOD
4 years ago

Add Scott to that threat list in the 100 free…

tea rex
Reply to  Packoastie
4 years ago

200 Fly.

I heard he may take up water polo and platform diving in the next year to keep it interesting.

WillSwim
Reply to  tea rex
4 years ago

For Caeleb to win 9 gold medals in Tokyo it would mean that Dean would have to drop out of 5 of the events he qualifies in. We all know that Lord Farris is gracious and works in mysterious ways but in the end I think Dean’s quest for 18 gold metals in a single Olympics will take precedence over Dressel’s chance to pass Phelps.

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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