By Robert Gibbs on SwimSwam
2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
- Full aquatics schedule
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- Entry Lists
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- Day 5 Finals Heat Sheet
- Day 5 Finals Relay Lineup
Just under ten years ago, The Swimmers Circle, the predecessor to SwimSwam, first wrote about Caeleb Dressel after he broke the 13-14 National Age Group record in the 50 free. Our editor Braden Keith wrote at that time..
Back to Dressel, he might be the answer to the “where are the young sprinters?” question that has been asked frequently in the past month about USA Swimming.
Dressel has already answered that question in spades in the years since then, but today, he put another notch in his belt, earning his first individual Olympic gold medal after getting his hand to the wall first in an exhilarating 100 free final.
While Dressel had won gold in this event at both the 2017 and 2019 Worlds, there was no guarantee of victory tonight, as the field included defending Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers, who nearly took down Dressel in 2019, and Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, who scorched a 47.11 in semis.
As usual, Dressel got off to an incredibly fast start, building a notable lead on the field almost immediately off of the blocks. He flipped at 22.39, with Kolesnikov just behind him at 22.49. Chalmers, meanwhile, turned at 22.71, as the race shaped up similarly to other Dressel vs. Chalmers contests. Chalmers closed in 24.37, but Dressel’s 24.63 was enough to hold off the Australian, and Dressel won 47.02 to 47.08, with Kolesnikov finishing 3rd in 47.44.
Dressel’s time tonight ranks as the 4th-fastest performance of all-time, and Chalmers tied his own mark as the 7th-fastest swim ever.
Top 10 Performances All-Time
- Cesar Cielo (Brazil), 2009, 46.91
- Alain Bernard (France), 2009, 46.94
- Caeleb Dressel (United States), 2019, 46.96
- Caeleb Dressel (United States), 2021, 47.02
- Cameron McEvoy (Australia), 2016, 47.04
- Eamon Sullivan (Australia), 2008, 47.05
- Kyle Chalmers (Australia), 2019/2021, 47.08
- (tie)
- James Magnussen (Australia), 2012, 47.10
- Kliment Kolesnikov (Russia), 2021, 47.11
Top 10 Performers All-Time
- Cesar Cielo (Brazil), 2009, 46.91
- Alain Bernard (France), 2009, 46.94
- Caeleb Dressel (United States), 2019, 46.96
- Cameron McEvoy (Australia), 2016, 47.04
- Eamon Sullivan (Australia), 2008, 47.05
- Kyle Chalmers (Australia), 2019, 47.08
- James Magnussen (Australia), 2012, 47.10
- Kliment Kolesnikov (Russia), 2021, 47.11
- Alain Bernard (France), 2009, 47.12
- Fred Bousquet (France), 2009, 47.15
Dressel’s swim tonight also set a new Olympic Record in the event, breaking the mark of 47.05 that Australia’s Eamon Sullivan swam back in 2008.
That’s the second gold medal overall for Dressel this week, after he led off the USA’s 4×100 free relay en route to gold. On paper, Dressel has a chance of earning up to another four medals this week, as he’s a top contender in the 50 free and the 100 fly, and should make appearances on the mixed and men’s medley relays as well.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Dressel Breaks Olympic Record in 100 Free for 2nd Gold Medal in Tokyo
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