U.S. Olympic Trials, Day 6 Notebook: Caeleb Dressel From 2012 Trials to Gold Medal Favorite

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. Olympic Trials, Day 6 Notebook: Caeleb Dressel From 2012 Trials to Gold Medal Favorite

Today, Caeleb Dressel is the world’s best swimmer, a 13-time world champion already and freshly qualified for his second Olympic team after a victory in the 100 free in the world’s second-fastest time, 47.39. He qualified first in the 100 fly prelims by a second and a half with his 50.17, and he will be heavily favored in the 50 free as well.

Five years ago, when Dressel was an Olympic rookie in 2016, he swam the lead-off leg of a star-laden 400 free relay that helped lead the United States to a gold medal. Before that, his college career had included winning some individual titles but nothing compared to the thrashing he gave the short course yards record books his junior and senior years. And before that, he was one of the most hyped high school prospects ever, especially after he became the first 18-and-under swimmer to break 19 in the 50-yard free in 2013.

But long before that, Dressel swam at the 2012 Olympic Trials as a 15-year-old. He swam five events that week inside the same Omaha arena where he would later qualify for two Olympics, and his highest finish was 100th. Yes, that’s correct, 100th. That was out of 116 swimmers in the 200 IM, his time of 2:08.08 more than 13 seconds slower than the 1:54.84 that Michael Phelps would swim on his way to winning the event.

In 2012, Dressel also finished:

121st out of 124 in the 200 free (1:55.17)
152nd out of 165 in the 100 free (52.21)
145th out of 167 in the 50 free (23.87)
121st out of 122 in the 100 fly (57.21)

Yes, he beat one person in that last race, as he pointed out to the crowd in Omaha after being awared his medal for winning the 100 free. He has done a bit better since.

The Lilly King-Annie Lazor Bond

Earlier this year, Indiana coach Ray Looze called the relationship between breaststroke stars Lilly King and Annie Lazor “respectful but “not the best of friends.” He explained that the two did not race each other in practice all the time so they could maintain a good dynamic within the group.

Now, their bond runs deeper. A touching feature that aired the NBC broadcast of Thursday night’s finals showed how King supported Lazor after her father, David, suddenly passed away in April. King drove five hours to Michigan for the visitation and promised Lazor’s mother, Stacey, “that she was going to do everything it took to put me on the [Olympic] team, and she was going to pull me through practice every day,” Lazor said in the NBC feature.

“That meant the absolute world to me and to my mom. She’s done that every day. She’s distracted me, and I know she’s doing that. She says the craziest things in practice and brings up these dumb stories. She’s being authentically Lilly by doing that.”

This week at Olympic Trials, both swimmers have expressed the significance of being in this process together. After King won the 100 breast but Lazor finished third, Lazor “could tell Lilly was excited to make her second Olympic team but she was just as heartbroken for me. I think that says everything you need to know about our relationship, how she wants me to be there for those amazing moments.”

In aiming to bounce back from her 100 breast disappointment, Lazor said she let herself be upset about the result, which she calls, “pretty valid, given that I swam the third-fastest time in the world but got third to two other people in the country. That sucks,” she added. But she had been targeting the 200 breast first and foremost, and as the second-fastest qualifier behind King for the final, Lazor is in an excellent position.

“Adding the 100 would have been really nice, just to punch it in early in the week, but I have so much confidence in this race, so it was time to turn a new leaf when I woke up this morning,” she said.

Who’s Actually On the Team?

So far, only first-place finishers in each individual event and the top four in the 100 and 200 free are officially on the Olympic team. Second-place finishers and relay alternates (fifth and sixth in the 100 free) can be added in that order depending on swimmers qualifying for multiple events, up to the limit of 26 male and 26 female swimmers total.

Without boring you with the math details, six swimmers would need to qualify for a second event for all second-place finishers to be added in each gender, and an additional two doubles would secure fifth-place relay alternates being added, plus two more to secure the sixth-places getting on the team. A swimmer qualifying for three events would be two doubles, and so on.

Complicated? We can break it down more.

The women have five doubles so far, Katie Ledecky twice (200, 400 and 1500 free), Paige Madden (400 free and 800 free relay), Hali Flickinger (400 IM and 200 fly) and Regan Smith (100 back and 200 fly). That means only one more swimmer would have to earn a double for all second-place swimmers to clinch spots on the team. That could easily come Friday night if Lilly King finishes top-two in the 200 breast to add to her earlier win in the 100 breast or if either Allison Schmitt or Kate Douglass finish top-four in the 100 free.

The women are all but certain to get two more doubles in Saturday’s 200 back (Smith) and 800 free (Ledecky), with Rhyan White in the 200 back and Erica Sullivan in the 800 free all possibilities as well. The qualifiers in Sunday’s 50 free could also be double-qualifiers if they first make the 100 free.

For the men’s, there are few doubles so far but plenty of chances for more. Only Kieran Smith (400 free and 200 free) and Andrew Wilson (100 breast and 200 breast) are there so far, but 100 free qualifier Zach Apple was fifth in the 200 free, so that spot won’t have to be added. Friday night could see three more doubles, with Ryan Murphy in the 200 back and both Michael Andrew and Chase Kalisz in the 200 IM. Caeleb Dressel is basically a lock for two doubles in the 100 fly and 50 free, as is Bobby Finke in the 1500 free.

It’s worth noting that world ranking breaks ties for Olympic selection. For instance, although Ryan Held (100 free) and Patrick Callan (200 free) finished sixth in relay events, Held would get onto the team before Callan because he is ranked 14th in the world in the 100 free, compared to Callan at 24th in the world in the 200 free.

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Thomas A. Small

2 years ago

Congratulations