U.S. captures swimming medals at Olympics as women’s gymnastics soars through qualifications
U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel was visibly emotional after not being able 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, had been expected to secure the top podium spots at the Paris Games after his successes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the 50-meter freestyle final at the Paris Olympics, Dressel finished sixth with a time of 21.61 seconds, trailing Australia’s Cameron McEvoy, who won gold, by over 0.35 seconds.
Shortly after, 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 from Florida in tears, likely feeling the intense pressure and disappointment that elite athletes experience when they do not meet their own high expectations.
Despite these setbacks, Dressel earned a gold medal in the Paris Games with Team USA in the men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay on Saturday, marking the country’s first gold in this year’s Olympics.
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Dressel achieved a gold medal in the men’s 100-meter butterfly with a world-record time of 49.45 seconds and set an Olympic record in the men’s 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.07 seconds.