Caeleb Dressel Ready for U.S. Short Course Trials; What Can We Expect from American Star?
A little more than a week ago, at the Virginia Pro Short Course Meters Pro-Am, American star Caeleb Dressel was back in the competitive pool for final tuneup work. With the United States hosting its first-ever World Short Course Championships Trials, Dressel will look to be in top form to qualify for the World Champs, which are being held in Beijing, China from December 1-6. The trials will take place from October 28-31 in Westmont, Illinois.
Here’s a look at where Dressel stands ahead of the qualifying meet:
Meet Results
At the UVA meet, Dressel contested five events. He only won one of the five, which was the 100 individual medley, stopping the clock in a time of 51.98. Dressel looked the strongest in this race. His turns were on, and his back and breast still looked very strong for someone who doesn’t swim those strokes on a regular basis. The 100 IM is the only short course world record that Dressel still owns. He may not be the favorite in this race come Beijing, but if he can find a way to break the 50-second barrier, anything can happen.
Dressel also raced the 50 butterfly and 100 fly. These were arguably his two weakest races of the meet. In the 100 fly, he swam to a time of 49.86, good for second place. The 50 fly saw him finish in third with a time of 22.67. Both of these times are well off Dressel’s best from the ISL. His fly throughout looked like it didn’t have much pop, something that everyone is accustomed to seeing from him. At the age of 30, this is something that should be expected. The older he gets, the slower the in-season swims will be, although Dressel has never been known to drop big times while in training. Dressel showed this past summer that it does not matter how he swims during the season; all that matters is his championship meet performances.
The 50 and 100 free gave Dressel his biggest challenge, which was the return of Jordan Crooks. The one person who can compete with Dressel’s dive did, but it wasn’t the reason why Dressel finished behind the former Tennessee standout. In the 100 free, Dressel flipped first, but Crooks took control of the race on the final 25. The opening speed is super important for Dressel. With a taper for trials, there is no reason why he can’t close the race at a much faster pace. The 50 free saw him swim to a time of 20.90, good for second place again. Like the 100, Dressel flipped with Crooks at the 25, but faded toward the end of the race.
How Competitive Will He Be?
After his performances this past July, we now have a better idea of how a tapered Dressel will perform at trials. A 49-second effort in the 100 IM would be an incredible result. No male has broken 51 this year, let alone 50, but with how close he was to his best times long course, there is no reason why he can’t be a 49.
The fly events have always been his best. He is the fastest 100 butterflyer in history. With Arizona State just competing in a short course meters meet, and Ilya Kharun’s international waiting period ending on October 26, the former Canadian star will be Dressel’s biggest threat in the butterfly events. Tyler Ray, who beat Dressel in the 50 and 100 fly at the UVA meet, should also be a factor in this race.
The freestyle events, specifically the 100 free, will be Dressel’s biggest task. The American depth in the event is impressive, and the likes of Jack Alexy and Chris Guiliano will be major threats. The 50 free was one of his best swims from the UVA meet. Seeing he already broke the 21-second barrier, Dressel could find himself in the 20.3 range. Any time under 20.4 should see him get his hand on the wall first.
Dressel showed what he can do this past summer in the long course pool. The short course pool brings many different challenges, but ones that Dressel should thrive in. His dive and underwater will be key, just like they were during his NCAA career. There is no doubt that he can find the top step of the podium again. The bigger question is: come December, can Caeleb Dressel find himself on the top step of an international podium?