Caeleb Dressel’s “heartbreaking” day – or hour – at the 2024 Paris Olympics left him in tears.
The 27-year-old American Olympian swimmer finished sixth in the men’s 50-meter freestyle final, with a time of 21.61 seconds, despite being one of the favorites for the race.
“It’s a shocking moment for a lot of you watching at home,” NBC analyst Rowdy Gaines said on the broadcast. “We can’t believe it either.”
Soon after, he finished fifth in his heat in the 100-meter butterfly semifinals at 51.57 seconds, failing to qualify for the final as a result.
His time ranked 13th of the 16 total semifinalists.
After that race, Dressel, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, could be seen on the NBC broadcast in tears and visibly emotional.
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
Still, he tried to bask in the moment.
“I’m actually enjoying the moment. I’m at the Olympic Games, I won’t forget that,” Dressel told reporters afterward. “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.”
Australian Cameron McEvoy won gold in the 50-meter final, while Great Britain’s Benjamin Proud took home silver and France’s Florent Manaudou won bronze.
Dressel won gold in both the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — in addition to three others — but the Paris Games have been far less fruitful for the Florida native who was expected to be one of Team USA’s top stars.
He’ll go home with no medals in individual events, though he has claimed one gold medal in Paris — the 4 X 100-meter freestyle relay.
Dressel have another chance at a team medal in the men’s medley relay.
“It was very obviously not my best work,” Dressel said. “It hasn’t been my best week. I don’t think I need to shy away from that. But the racing has been really fun here. Walking out for the the 50 and the 100 fly, it was special. I don’t want to ever forget that. I’d like to be quicker, obviously. Not my week.”
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