INDIANAPOLIS — Caeleb Dressel secured his second individual career in Paris, giving him another chance to shine after his stellar performance at the last Olympic Games.
Keep an eye out for Kate Douglass, too. She could be one of the biggest American stars in the pool. And of course, Katie Ledecky will be swimming in a host of events.
Dressel, winner of five gold medals at the Tokyo Games, touched first in the men's 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Saturday night.
Dressel followed up her triumph in the 50 freestyle with a winning time of 50.19 seconds, giving her the opportunity to defend another of the gold medals she captured in Tokyo.
“I think all my swims I executed to the best of my ability,” he said.
Douglass secured his third individual event at the Olympics with a victory in the 200-meter individual medley.
He was neck and neck with Alex Walsh into the final turn, but no one could keep up with Douglass in the freestyle leg.
She finished in 2:06.79, while Walsh held on for second Olympic spot in 2:07.86.
Douglass has lived up to her fame as one of the most versatile swimmers in the world, also scoring event victories in the 200 breaststroke and 100 freestyle.
“I'm very happy with it,” Douglass said. “I was coming into the meet trying to win all three events, but I didn't think I would be able to do it. So I'm happy I did it.”
Ledecky earned her fourth victory of the trials, winning the 800 freestyle in 8 minutes, 14.12 seconds. Paige Madden took second place in 8:20.71.
Ledecky plans to eliminate the 200 freestyle from her Olympic program, but will compete in the 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyle, as well as the 4×200 freestyle relay.
Dressel didn't come close to his world record of 49.45, which he set at the last Olympics. But he led all the way and touched about a half-length ahead of 17-year-old Thomas Heilman, who took second place for Paris in 50.80.
Dressel will also swim up to three relays at the Summer Games, which would bring him closer to the six-event schedule he had in Tokyo. The only event he didn't win three years ago was the medley relay.
“It's hard to get through the tests,” Dressel said. “This is really the hardest part.”
The only individual gold that Dressel will not be able to defend in Paris is the 100-meter freestyle. He missed third place in his first event of these trials.
After stepping away from swimming in the middle of the 2022 world championships, which led to the long break he needed to regain his love for the sport, Dressel will enter these Olympics with a little less enthusiasm than three years ago, when he was being heralded as the next Michael Phelps.
Dressel is fully aware that others around the world have recorded faster times in their events this year. He readily admits that he may never swim another personal best in his career. But he's still a guy who knows how to perform when the spotlight is brightest, as it will be in Paris.
“I know I'm the defending champion,” Dressel said. “There's no way around that. But I think I'm chasing some of those guys, too.”
Perhaps the most exciting part of these trials was having his four-month-old son, August Wilder, in the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium with his wife, Meghan.
“My son got to see me make an Olympic team,” Dressel said, with a big smile. “He won't remember it. But I'll tell him, believe me. I have pictures to prove it.”
Heilman will also compete in the 200 butterfly, winning that event at the trials to become the youngest man to make the U.S. swim team since 15-year-old Michael Phelps in 2000.
“The butterfly is in good hands with this guy,” Dressel said, pointing to Heilman. “It's scary, scary.”
Walsh will be able to swim at the Olympics with her sister Gretchen and will finally make the team on the penultimate night of the trials.
“It means a lot,” said Alex Walsh, who competed without his sister in Tokyo. “I didn't know if I was going to make it to Paris after she did. This is a dream we've been dreaming of for so long.”
Simone Manuel, the first black swimmer to win an individual gold medal, will have one more chance on the final night of the meet to make the team in an individual event.
Already assured of his third Olympics as a member of the 4×100 freestyle relay, Manuel advanced to the 50 freestyle finals on Sunday with the fourth-fastest time in Saturday night's semifinals (24.51).
Gretchen Walsh was the top finisher in 24:06, just ahead of Torri Huske in 24:09. Abbey Weitzeil, who, like Manuel, secured a spot on her third Olympic team as a relay swimmer, was next in 24.48.
