Olympian Caeleb Dressel returns to training: Reports
Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel has returned to training as per reports. According to Swimswam, Brazilian Swim coach Alex Pussieldi noted that Caeleb has started training again.
Caeleb Dressel's return to training was seemingly confirmed when he was seen training with Florida head coach Anthony Nesty's training group at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center during the TYR Pro Swim Series.
But Dressel didn't compete in the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale. He was also present at the Speedo photoshoot in the last weekend. SpeedoUSA posted a photo on Instagram on March 4, 2023. In the photo, Caeleb Dressel can be seen alongside Ryan Murphy and Kieran Smith.
The Florida-born swimmer hasn't competed in competitive swimming since the 2022 World Championships in Budapest. He withdrew from the 2022 World Championships midway due to non-COVID medical reasons. Caeleb was also absent from several award shows in which he received nominations. He won the "Best Male Olympian" award at the 2022 ESPY awards in June 2022.
Caeleb Dressel was also absent from the 2022 Golden Goggle Awards in November 2022 where he was nominated for the "Best Relay" award alongside Brooks Curry, Justin Ress and Ryan Held for their victory in the 4x100 free relay at the Worlds.
On September 5, 2022, Dressel shared an update with his followers saying that he hadn't swam since Worlds. The seven-time Olympic gold medallist wrote:
"Hey friends I haven’t been on here at all but I wanted to share an update with what I’ve been up to. I haven’t swam since worlds and can honestly say I have been happy without swimming.
"I really miss it though. A few things I’ve done… I finally went on a honeymoon to Iceland, I bought a tractor, hiked another section of the Appalachian Trail, swam with some manatees. I know I can have swimming and happiness. I had them both at one point in my life and I’m working on it. If you need a break, take one. I’ll be back."
Since then, Dressel has been extremely quiet on social media but posts brand-related posts once in a while. As per Swimswam, he posted a story on Monday showing that he was reading "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown.
It is still not known whether Caeleb will compete in the Westmont Pro Series in April and the Mission Viejo Pro Series in May.
How did Caeleb Dressel fare at the Tokyo Olympics?
Caeleb Dressel competed in the Tokyo Olympics. This was Dressel's second Olympic Games after featuring in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The Florida-born swimmer won five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics. His first medal in Tokyo was the gold medal which he won in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay. In the 100-meter freestyle event, the 26-year-old clinched the yellow metal with an Olympic record time of 47.02.
Dressel emerged victorious in the 100-meter butterfly as well with a world record time of 49.45. He claimed two gold medals on the final day, one in the 50-meter freestyle and the other in the 4x100-meter medley relay event.