Caeleb Dressel aims to end his career at the 2028 Olympic Games with a 50 m freedom race
Caeleb Dressel said on Saturday that he was eyeing the 50m freestyle at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles as a possible conclusion to his illustrious career.
Dressel, a native of Green Cove Springs, Florida, served as an honorary official at the NASCAR Cup Series race in Daytona on Saturday. It has been less than a month since he failed to win an individual medal at the Paris Olympics, taking gold in the men’s 400 freestyle relay and mixed medley relay and silver in the 400 medley relay.
“I’m young. I feel good,” Dressel told the Associated Press. “It’s tough right now because when you’re done with a championship meet, swimming is the last thing you want to think about. That’s why I’m running around Daytona and having a good time.”
“But it’s always been one of my dreams to compete in a championship meet on American soil. So, yeah, I’m eyeing 2028. I don’t think there will be a full competition schedule. I think maybe just the 50 freestyle, building up a little more muscle, not being in as good shape. So maybe I’m looking forward to just doing the splash-and-dash. That could be a good time for me.”
Dressel turned 28 on August 16. He was born in 1996, the last time the Summer Olympics were held in the United States. He has won 10 Olympic gold medals in his career, nine of them gold. That includes three individual medals at the Tokyo Olympics, in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly. His program in Paris was shorter because he only qualified for the relay in the 100-meter freestyle. A common path to longer life, especially for male sprinters, is to choose shorter distances and shorter programs as they age.
Dressel finished sixth in the 50-meter freestyle in Paris with a time of 21.61 seconds, missing the podium by just 0.05 seconds (he won in Tokyo with an Olympic record of 21.07 seconds). He finished 13th in the 100-meter butterfly, failing to make the final.
“Individually not the results I was hoping for from the Games this year, but that’s how it goes sometimes in this sport,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not your week, but I’m delighted. It’s really nice to be back home. I hope I did my country proud and hope I did my job in the relays.”
Dressel has made his mental health problems public. Since the birth of his son August in February, he has developed a new attitude towards sport. At further Olympic Games, his son would have the chance to see him compete in front of a home crowd and perhaps keep memories of the experience.
