Caeleb Dressel Found His Flow Again — Just in Time for Paris 2024

Published: July 3, 2024

Caeleb Dressel Found His Flow Again — Just in Time for Paris 2024

By Movieguide® Contributor

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel is ready for his second Olympics but admits he is still struggling to hit his top speeds.

“Dressel vs. the water has been a fierce internal battle. The conflict between America’s best sprinter and the element he swims through with record-setting speed has been discussed in vague terms, not divulged in any detail. Everyone knows Dressel has struggled with the sport he once dominated, but few people know exactly how or why,” Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported.

Sports Illustrated explained that Dressel “endured a mental health episode that temporarily drove him from the sport” following the Tokyo Games.

So, what exactly has helped the swimmer get back in the water and find his flow?

Dressel has Isaiah 40:31 tattooed on his left shoulder. It reads:

but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

“It’s the reason I’m in the sport — not just to go fast times, but to inspire people and show them where I find my happiness with what God’s given me,” Dressel told the Baptist Standard in 2015.

Movieguide® previously reported on Dressel’s success:

American swimmer Caeleb Dressel won five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and broke his world record by .05 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly.

Dressel used his success to champion his central motivation: his faith in God.

Last month, Dressel competed in Indianapolis at the U.S. Olympic Trials. While there, he finished “third in the 100-meter freestyle, an event in which he holds the American record; winning the 50 free to punch his individual ticket; then winning the 100 butterfly in a time that stamps him as a serious Olympic gold-medal threat — if not the favorite.”

Dressel’s main event is the butterfly, and before the race, he kept repeating “17, 19, 17, 19” to himself — the number of strokes he would take on the first 50 yards and then on the last 50 yards of the race.

He hit his marks perfectly and secured a win in the butterfly.

Dressel told the media in a post-race press conference, “For everything to come together — and for every swimmer that’s sat up here, it’s tough. There is no way around it. I’m not going to elaborate on it anymore. There’s no point. Everyone who has sat up here knows exactly what I’m talking about…the tears that come with it, the frustration and then also the high points.”