What Happened to Caeleb Dressel?

7x Olympic medalist Caeleb Dressel was in the middle of a gold-winning streak when he abruptly disappeared from the public eye. One of the best swimmers in the world, he withdrew from partaking in competitions in the middle of the 2022 World Championships, citing medical reasons. By then, the Tokyo champ had grabbed two gold medals in the 4×100 m relay and 50m butterfly with a timing of 22.57 for the latter, but even with many more medals to go, he decided to drop out—not just from the championship but from the sport itself.

Dressel was nine whole months away from the call of the Clorin Blue before he finally decided to make his return to competition in May 2023, which was just over a month before the US Summer Nationals. Now, as the swimming legend is getting ready for his Paris dreams, one might be left to wonder: what exactly took Caleb away from the depths, and how ready is he to compete on the global stage once again?

Caeleb Dressel’s reflections on his career and current lifestyle

From an outsider’s point of view, Caeleb had it all. A young man with a loving family, making and breaking records, with numerous medals to his name. But all that glitters is not gold. While he was out there making great waves in the swimming pool, he had a storm brewing in his mind. Dressel slowly became obsessed with being perfect, and that pursuit of perfection became a double-edged sword. Day in and day out, despite winning medals, all he could think of was how he had messed up in the events where he didn’t win. The swimmer began nit-picking at every tiny detail of his performances.

Eventually, his self-criticism reached such heights that it started taking a toll on his mental health. “I created a monster in myself — just so caught up in perfectionism,” he explained on the “Unfiltered Waters” podcast. “And so caught up in, ‘If I don’t see these times, it means I’m a bad person, or it means I did not train hard enough. If I don’t go a world record, it means … I didn’t obsess enough. It eventually broke me, to where I couldn’t keep up with what my own demands were.” Thankfully, it didn’t take much time for him to revert to his old form.

Ultimately, Caeleb realized he needed to give himself space and time to recuperate and form a healthy relationship with the sport he loves once again. He went home to Florida and started therapy. As of now, he trains in Gainesville, Florida, where he has a farm. Here he raises chickens and cows and rides a tractor while also spending time with his son, born in February 2024, and his wife, Meghan Haila.

The story of Dressel’s recovery and return to competition

This year’s May saw Dressel speak to SwimSwam regarding his journey back to his mental recovery, which now acts as the penultimate fuel for his athletic drive. “I got back in the water, and they saw I was human. I wasn’t a robot. I wasn’t just a machine anymore. It was like ‘Oh, he does hurt in practice. He does struggle.’” Dressel reflects, “I knew I was in a spot where it wasn’t healthy, I got to that point where I was like if I don’t break a World Record at whatever event, then my career is a waste.” 

Now, he feels his thought process during that time was ‘pretty ludicrous’. After his break, Caeleb Dressel is beginning to come back to his former self. Splashing through with a victory in the men’s 50m freestyle at the US Olympic Trials in 21.41 seconds, which was followed by a resurgent 50.79 seconds in the 100m butterfly, the swimmer has been consistently dropping time this year. Seeing his significant improvements upon his return, it looks like he is poised for a comeback and ready to grab another medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024!