It’s been just over a month since we saw USA swimming icon Caeleb Dressel breaking down in tears after failing to make it to the finals in his last event at the Paris Olympics. The defeat seemed to have crushed Dressel, with the swimmer inconsolable as he wept into his coach’s arms. While that was a painful sight to behold, Paralympics star Evan Austin‘s speech might turn out to be the biggest tearjerker in swimming this year.

A lot was riding on Austin heading into the 2024 Paralympics with the senior swimmer bound for a podium finish. Austin had a great run during the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, as he bagged a gold and a bronze medal across competitions, consolidating his position as one of Team USA’s best inside the pool. However, things did not go the way fans expected, as Austin finished fourth in the men’s 400 freestyle S7 competition.

Similar to Caeleb Dressel, Evan Austin was in tears as he addressed the media following his melancholic retirement. Conversing with NBC, the swimmer tried to hold back his tears as he stated, “I’m trying not to get emotional. That was my last Paralympic swim. I’m at peace, but it’s wonderful to have it in hindsight. If you’re not enough without a medal, you’ll never be enough with it. I’ve had one hell of a career, and I’m enough, and that was enough for me today.”

If these words sound similar, you don’t have to look further. Caeleb Dressel too had a similar message as the Team USA star addressed his shortcomings before promising not to let the country down again. Sadly, while Dressel has the chance to come up on his promise, it’s the end of the road for Evan Austin!

Caeleb Dressel comes clean on Paris Olympics failure

It’s difficult to admit when you’ve had a bad day. However, Caeleb Dressel was one of the first people to admit his loss after finishing 5th during the 100m butterfly semifinals at the Paris Olympics. The swimmer admitted he didn’t have the best of the days inside the pool as he failed to make the best of his capabilities.

Dressel stated, “It’s very obviously not my best work, but I had really a lot of fun. It hasn’t been the best week; don’t need to shy away from that. I’d like to be quicker, obviously, but it’s not my week, and that’s alright. I was a good bit off my best right there and felt like it. A lot went into this, just to be here, and I can get into that after the meet.”

It will be interesting to see how Team USA bounces from the setback with a lot riding on their shoulders. LA2028 is a big dream for swimming fans who will be eager to see their favorite stars bounce back, and Caeleb Dressel has to be on top of the list!