Caeleb Dressel Bounces Back with Record-Breaking 9th Gold Medal After Heartbreaking Double Loss

Caeleb Dressel has continued his impressive Olympic career with another gold medal in Paris.

PARIS, France — Caeleb Dressel added his ninth career gold medal to his collection in an unexpected manner at the Summer Games.

Dressel secured his eighth career gold in a relay on the first day of the swimming events. However, he missed opportunities to defend his titles in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly from the Tokyo Olympics.

On Friday night, Dressel finished sixth in the 50-meter freestyle and did not advance to the final in the 100-meter butterfly, leading to an emotional moment where he cried for several minutes in the pool.

The very next day, Dressel earned his ninth career gold medal, although he was not in the pool for the final race.

Dressel’s participation in the prelims for the mixed 4x100m medley relay secured the team’s spot in the final. While he didn’t swim in the final, his efforts in the prelims contributed to the team’s success. Regan Smith, Charlie Swanson, and Abbey Weitzeil also swam in the preliminaries to help earn the victory.

Dressel now shares the record for the second-most gold medals by a U.S. Olympian with Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, and Katie Ledecky, who also earned her ninth gold on Saturday. Only Michael Phelps, with a staggering 23 gold medals, surpasses them.