U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel experienced an emotional moment after he was unable to defend his Olympic gold medals on Friday in the 100-meter butterfly and 50-meter freestyle events.
Dressel, who holds eight Olympic gold medals, was expected to dominate at the Paris Games, having previously secured gold in both events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the Paris Olympic finals, Dressel competed in the 50-meter freestyle but finished in sixth place with a time of 21.61 seconds, trailing more than 0.35 seconds behind Australia’s Cameron McEvoy, who won gold.
Shortly afterward, Dressel was eliminated in the semi-finals of the men’s 100-meter butterfly, placing fifth with a time of 51.57 seconds, over a second behind France’s Maxime Grousset, who finished first with a time of 50.41.
Photographers captured the 27-year-old Florida native in tears, likely overwhelmed by the intense pressure and disappointment elite athletes often face when they fall short of their expectations.
Despite these setbacks, Dressel did secure a gold medal in the men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay with Team USA on Saturday, marking the country’s first gold in this year’s Games.
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Dressel won a gold medal with a world-record time of 49.45 seconds in the men’s 100-meter butterfly, and set an Olympic record in the men’s 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.07.