Nothing can be more devastating than seeing your plans sink on D-day. And what hurts more? Well, coming to the Olympic stage and not being able to defend your throne. Caeleb Dressel was struck by a similar pain when he saw his title of ‘reigning Olympic 50m freestyle champion’ being snatched away in his presence. Despite clocking a 21.61 in the event finals, Dressel came in sixth to Cameron McEvoy, who bagged the first spot.

And indeed, this has been a mighty blow to Dressel, who was seen breaking down after his swim. Indeed, Caeleb had a similar fate in the men’s 100m freestyle events earlier. And this loss has just added to his sorrow. As tweeted by an NBC insider, Dressel said, “It hasn’t been my best week. I don’t think I need to shy away from that.” 

Well, coming back to the pool was not an easy decision for Dressel. He returned to the US National Championships in 2023 after an eight-month-long gap. Moreover, he had previously mentioned how difficult it gets in the sport: “There is no way around it. I’m not going to elaborate on it anymore. There’s no point. Everyone who has sat up here knows exactly what I’m talking about … the tears that come with it, the frustration and then also the high points.” 

Dressel, who had come to Paris, hoping to replicate his success streak like in Tokyo, where he bagged 5 medals, appeared crestfallen this time. First, he got knocked out of the men’s 100m freestyle event in the semi-final. Although he was part of the 4x100m freestyle relay event that won gold this week, he could make his mark in his signature event, the 50m freestyle.

The 8-time Olympic medalist set the 50m Olympic record in Tokyo, one that stands at 21.07. But his plans could not materialize in the pool today. The world has seen this phenom’s dominance before, and he knows he can be better. Well, this led him to state, “I’d like to be performing better, but I’m not. I trained to go faster than the times I’m going. I know that. So, yeah. It’s tough, a little heartbreaking. A little heartbreaking for sure.”

But not all is lost, as his 4x100m medley relay is yet to come. Thus, he can still return from Paris with another piece of hardware around his neck.

Caeleb Dressel’s struggles with mental health

Although Dressel had a very successful stint in Tokyo, his days of sunshine were preceded by cloudy skies. Right from when he was a senior in high school and represented Florida at the NCAA, he started experiencing depression and panic attacks. Doctors mentioned that he suffered from anxiety due to the pressure that he put on himself, added to by the intense expectations that society burdened him with.

After Phelps’ retirement, Dressel was touted as the next unstoppable force in the 100m freestyle. But he had some mighty shoes to fill in, which made the weight of expectations stoop him. After his Tokyo stint, he mentioned how there is a different side to the sport that not many people see. Well, it looks like Paris has given him some absolute shocks—ones that shook the ground from under his feet. But will Caeleb Dressel bounce back like a mighty fighter? What do you think?