One event can really make or break a career—do you believe that? A lot of people do! Well, Caeleb Dressel, with his nine gold medals from three Olympic Games, is often compared to Michael Phelps. They were teammates at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where Phelps was wrapping up his career and Dressel was just getting started. At the age of 19, Dressel secured his two gold medals while competing with Phelps in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays. But this time, the Paris Olympics were different.

Even though he held the titles for the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly, Caeleb Dressel fell short at the Paris Olympics. Even he moved to tears following two disappointing performances. With Phelps’s shadow looming large, it seemed like even Phelps was left feeling disheartened by the performance of Team USA, especially the men’s team. To put it mildly, Phelps was “disappointed.”

Dressel missed the podium in the 50m freestyle, finishing sixth at the Paris Olympics. Then again, his performance in the 100m butterfly was even more disappointing, as he finished 13th.

NBC cameras caught a raw moment when Dressel was overcome with emotion, shedding tears over missing the chance to race in another individual event at the Paris Games. But now, a couple of weeks after Paris, he’s looking to clarify his performance, especially after Michael Phelps’s comment!

Well, Phelps was in Paris, watching Team USA’s performance from the stands. But the men’s swimming team came away with just one individual gold medal. This was the lowest tally of individual gold medals for the American men’s team since they won just one in Melbourne in 1956. “For me, as a whole, I was pretty disappointed to see the U.S. swimming results,” Phelps said. “Hopefully, we’re able to make that transition leading into 2028.” It seems now that it might be possible after Caeleb Dressel addresses his performance issues at the Paris Olympics.

At Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, the 28-year-old Dressel reflected on his recent Olympic performance. “Not the exact results I wanted from the games this year, individually, but that’s how the sport goes sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not your week, but I’m holding my head high. It’s really nice being home. I hope I made my country proud and hope I did my job on relays.” Looking forward, Dressel is already setting his sights on the sport’s next big event too.

Caeleb Dressel went from riding highs to facing lows and is now eyeing a final shot

There might be other reasons behind Caeleb Dressel’s not-so-good performance, too. Dressel is not the same swimmer who stormed through Tokyo, where he snagged gold in every event he touched—three individual races and two relays. While that was a golden moment, the pressure and competitiveness eventually started to weigh him down. By 2022, it all became too much, leading Dressel to pull out of the World Championships for health reasons. He later came clean about needing a break for his mental well-being.

But after a much-needed eight- to nine-month breather and the arrival of his son August in February 2024, his supportive wife Meghan, Dressel, decided to dive back into the sport. Juggling parenthood and elite training is no small feat, but Dressel found a way to make it work. But ultimately failed. It now seems he has other plans too. Caeleb Dressel looks to end his Olympic swimming career!

Caeleb Dressel is eyeing a fourth and possibly final Olympic bid in Los Angeles in 2028, and he’s considering trimming down his schedule. “I don’t think it’s going to be a full event lineup,” Dressel said. “I think maybe just the 50m free. Put a little bit more muscle on. Don’t have to be in as good a shape. So maybe look forward to just doing the splash and dash. That might be a good time for me.” Here’s hoping he stays on track and avoids any major or minor setbacks as he gears up for 2028!