Caeleb Dressel emerged victorious in the 100m butterfly at the US Olympic swimming trials, setting the stage for another title defense in Paris, while Katie Ledecky will strive for her fourth consecutive gold in the 800m free.
Dressel concluded his emotional comeback at the US trials on Saturday, following up his 50m free win on Friday with another triumph after his extended hiatus from the sport.
Dressel took charge with his usual explosive start, led the race, and finished in 50.19 seconds, with 17-year-old Thomas Heilman finishing second in 50.80.
Heilman had previously won the 200m butterfly to become the youngest US male swimmer to secure an Olympic spot since Michael Phelps and Aaron Piersol at the 2000 Sydney Games.
He utilized the outside lane to narrowly beat Dare Rose by four-hundredths of a second.
“This is truly the toughest part,” Dressel remarked on the pressure-packed US trials, where only the top two finishers in each event qualify for the Olympics.
“It’s difficult to make the team here, and that’s how it should be,” said Dressel, who clinched five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics before stepping away from the sport in 2022.
“I think I’ve experienced every emotion imaginable,” Dressel said of the rollercoaster nine-day trials, held this year at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
“It’s tough. So really the motto is one stroke at a time. You’ve got to turn the dial on, then turn it off and just when you can go to bed. So I’m happy to be done,” said Dressel, who received support from his wife, Meghan, and their four-month-old son, August, during the trials.
Ledecky secured her fourth win of the week in the 800m freestyle, returning to the event where her Olympic journey began with a surprise victory at the age of 15 in the 2012 London Games.
Ledecky, the world record-holder in the 800m free, clocked 8mins 14.12secs. Paige Madden finished second to Ledecky, setting a personal best time of 8:20.71.
In Paris, Ledecky will be the favorite to become the first woman in any sport to win Olympic gold in the same event four times.
Michael Phelps is the only swimmer to win the same event at four consecutive Games, achieving this feat in the 200m individual medley in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016.
– Douglass treble –
Kate Douglass added a notable victory in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2mins 06.79secs to her wins in the 100m free and 200m breaststroke earlier in the week.
Alex Walsh came in second with a time of 2:07.86, and the pair will head to Paris aiming to improve on their performances at the Tokyo Games, where Walsh won silver and Douglass secured bronze.
“I feel like the goal coming into this meet was to try and win all three events, but you know, I didn’t really think I was going to be able to achieve that,” Douglass said. “So I’m really happy I did.”
Walsh secured her Paris spot on the penultimate night of the trials, joining her sister Gretchen who set a world record in the semi-finals en route to winning the 100m fly.
“I didn’t know if I was going to make it to Paris after she made it,” said Alex Walsh, who competed in Tokyo as Gretchen missed out. “This is a dream we’ve been dreaming for so long.”
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