Everything that Caeleb Dressel touches turns into gold. Or so we thought after his stellar performance in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. He even went on to turn heads at the U.S. Olympic Trials. However, this time, the swimmer’s winning streak came to a screeching halt. The 28-year-old walked away with 3 Olympic medals this time around. But this left the Olympian reeling for more. And fans seem to feel that way too. 

The burning question on everyone’s mind is whether he will return for another try in 2028. Well, guess what? You won’t have to scratch your heads anymore! In a conversation with SwimSwam’s Mel Stewart, the host asked the 28-year-old what the next four years look like for him. But after wrapping up a mildly disappointing stint in Paris, Dressel kept it simple. “You’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I hate swimming,’ like you don’t want to think anything about it.” But this isn’t the first time he’s had this question thrown his way.

The Olympian continued, “So it’s really tough to like answer those questions about what does your future look like when all I’m thinking is like, ‘Dude, I want to have a couple beers, watch cars go fast like, and not being asked about like a future of my career.” 

Even though it initially seems like Caeleb Dressel is trying to avoid the question, he finally gives in. “So LA 2028 seems extremely appealing.”

There’s something magical about contesting on one’s home turf, isn’t there? 

The swimmer seemed to agree.

“It sounds amazing to compete on American soil. That sounds like an absolute dream in such a special way in my career.” However, as exciting as this was, he dropped a massive hint. “Cuz I would not want to go past 28, and yeah, maybe the reason the answer was a little bit confusing is, I don’t particularly know at the moment either.” Does this mean that LA2028 could be his last? 

Caeleb Dressel further stated answering questions about what’s next didn’t sound appealing, especially when it was so close to his stint in Paris. The swimmer clarified that this could eventually change. So there you have it! La2028 could still possibly be on the books for the 28-year-old. While we still have 4 years left, how did the swimmer fare at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Caeleb Dressel’s unpredictable Olympic stint in the City of Light

The swimmer started his Parisian stint strong by claiming his 8th Olympic gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. The quartet of Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, Jack Alexy, and the 28-year-old stormed to the finish in 3:09:28. Hopeful as ever, the Olympian moved on to the next events – 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly. He stepped into the Olympic pool as a defending champion. It was glaringly obvious why he was dubbed as the favorite.

However, the stars didn’t shine brightly for Caeleb Dressel.

Caeleb had set the Olympic record in the former at Tokyo, but his 21.61 seconds was only good enough for a 6th-place finish. His night went from bad to worse. He was probably tired from the finals earlier. With 51.57 seconds on the clock, the swimmer did not move on to the finals. The 28-year-old looked absolutely crushed. NBC captured the vulnerable moment. Many felt it wasn’t a moment we should have witnessed, but after some time had passed, he felt differently. 

The 10x Olympic medalist pulled the curtain on what the moment was. “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. Um, you can certainly have an opinion on whether I should have sucked it up a little better, uh, whether the camera shouldn’t have been on me.” However, he clarified that he doesn’t blame NBC for sharing that moment. “I’m not even upset that the camera was on… didn’t see the camera.” There’s nothing wrong with being expressive, is there?

In fact, he quickly wiped his tears, put on a brave face, and went to the mixed zone to answer questions. However, things did get better from there. The quartet of Charlie Swanson, Abbey Weitzeil, Regan Smith, and Caeleb Dressel clinched an effortless win in the mixed 4x100m medley relay with 3:40:98. Team USA’s world record timing of 3:37:43 earned the swimmer his 9th Olympic gold, despite not competing.

Paris wasn’t as promising for the swimmer, but is LA2028 still in the books? We will have to wait and watch.