{"id":397970,"date":"2019-10-13T09:58:28","date_gmt":"2019-10-13T16:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=397970"},"modified":"2019-10-15T10:18:11","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T17:18:11","slug":"caeleb-the-condor-dressel-soars-as-skins-king-and-triple-winner-but-energy-take-tight-match-by-2-5-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/caeleb-the-condor-dressel-soars-as-skins-king-and-triple-winner-but-energy-take-tight-match-by-2-5-points\/","title":{"rendered":"Caeleb The Condor Dressel Soars As Skins King And Triple Winner But Energy Take Tight Match By 2.5 Points"},"content":{"rendered":"

International Swim League (ISL): Day Two \u2013 Naples (Live)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

When Caeleb The Condor Dressel<\/strong> touched down in Naples, his mission was clear: take the fight to Energy, top team at the first-ever round of the International Swimming League<\/strong> in Indianapolis last week.<\/p>\n

The sums were easy to follow. Sarah Sjostrom, Femke Heemskerk, Florent Manaudou and Ben Proud<\/strong> topped the 50m skins events and helped Energy win all the relays in Indianapolis. Sprint events carry double points; relays triple points. Job done and the biggest threat, Cali Condors, kept at bay.<\/p>\n

On the first day of action in Naples yesterday, Dressel shifted the dynamic in favour of the Condors, helped by the likes of a Lilly King<\/strong> double<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Caeleb Dressel – Photo Courtesy: Eurosport<\/p><\/div>\n

By the close of business on the second day, Dressel was Most-Valuable Player by a League and without a shadow off a doubt<\/strong> but the way the points fall through the ranks mean that 1 hero and not even 1 terrific team effort is not enough. Energy took much on the chin but still emerged as the winners – by a tight 2.5 points:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Energy: 493<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n
  • Condors: 490.5<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n
  • DC Trident: 322<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n
  • Aqua: 321.5<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Dressel, whose made mincemeat out of Florent Manaudou<\/strong> and the rest in the 50 free skins (three rounds of sprints in swift succession) with a triple of low 21sec efforts, \u00a0took his team’s narrow defeat on the chin, saying: “There are no drastic changes needed: we just have to clean up in some areas. ”<\/p>\n

    He had enjoyed “Every single race. It was an absolute blast; two days of solid racing and that from the whole team. We’re missing a couple of people so there’s more to come.” A multi-mission racer whose soaring NCAA career and preparation with the Gators and coach Gregg Troy, now head mentor to the Condors, stood him in good stead tonight, Dressel added after mauling his challengers in the skins:<\/p>\n

    “I’m trained to go from individual to relay and back to individual: this doesn’t happen by coincidence.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    It was then put to the gracious champion by forever British sprinter Mark Foster<\/strong> that the “world had said goodbye to Michael Phelps<\/strong> but hello to Caeleb Dressel”. Says Dressel: “Well, I wouldn’t say that – but thanks.”<\/p>\n

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    Michael Phelps and Caeleb Dressel celebrate Rio 2016 4×100 free gold – Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports<\/p><\/div>\n

    Dressel got to know what it was like to be on a team with Phelps, both in the winning 4x100m free at Rio 2016 as the GOAT and most decorated Olympian, by far, in history, hurtled towards \u00a0a destiny in the outer orbit of all sporting achievements. Dressel went from go, Phelps next in, Manaudou third for France.<\/p>\n

    Today was the first time Manaudou met Dressel and vice versa across the lane rope in a head-to-head clash.<\/p>\n

    Foster, meanwhile, was much closer to the mark when he praised the American sprinter for his blistering starts: when you can take half a body length off Manaudou by the time you streamline into stroke, then the world of sprinters understands only too well the danger in Dressel.<\/p>\n

    Dressel will go to Tokyo next year in search of what would be a first solo gold medal at a Games. He may win a few but 23 gold atop 28 medals in all is not open to comparison and won’t be for many Olympic cycles to come.<\/p>\n

    By the first break today, Dressel, King and Co had done a lot of damage, Condors General Manager \u00a0Jason Lezak<\/strong> noting after watching his women’s 4x100m medley relay dominate: “That was awesome. We placed a lot more emphasis on the relays this week and we’re going for a strong finish in the skins.”<\/p>\n

    Dressel vs Manaudou Vs Proud – thriller ahead. James Gibson<\/strong>, head coach for Energy believed the meet would come down to …<\/p>\n

    “Dressel Vs Manaudou in the skins – that’ll decide this match. Swimming needs Messi Vs Ronaldo and this is it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    By the time he got to the skins, Dressel had won the 100m free (45.77), the 50m ‘fly (22.34), thumped a 45.65 hole in the Mixed Free relay for the Condors – and was heading towards Most-Valuable Player<\/strong> Status for the Naples meet.<\/p>\n

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    Hats off to the MPV – Caeleb Dressel stunned his opposition – Photo Courtesy: Eurosport<\/p><\/div>\n

    Gibson was delighted with his team’s showing, Ione that relied heavily on sprints and relay efforts, the tactic obvious: go for the places where the points come thickest and fastest. Gibson revealed that his mum had spoken to him win the phone earlier in the day after the Condors led on day 1 in Naples and reminded him to take a Churchillian approach to Day 2:<\/p>\n

    “Never give up, never surrender… I’m pleased with the start of the season. Our tactics and the way we’ve gone about it have paid dividends. The other teams are catching on and will want to catch up.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Gibson would be “buying everyone a beer tonight”, something he never gets to say on Great Britain or national team duty, alcohol being forbidden.<\/p>\n

    Lezak is still working out how best to use his team’s strengths and a fantastic beast like Dressel:<\/p>\n

    \n
    “He can swim everything, right, so it was hard to figure out. You put him in the obvious events but there is also other events you could use him, so there was a lot of strategy, trying to fill pieces of where we thought we needed to make up points.\u00a0We knew going into this that the relays and the skins where a huge factor, just having Caeleb alone enables us to save certain people, to move certain people out of events or into events to do better on the relays. Its not just having him for the one relay, its not using other people and having them as well.”<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
    \n
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    Chad Le Clos dominated the 200 ‘fly – Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n

    As Naples came to a close, Dressel’s “need to clean” some things up is a part of the dawning of a hard truth: Caeleb’s calibre is not in question but there are few hiding places in a League set up with a bias for the 50s and relays – and not much scope for “saving” folk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    Said Lezak before the final session: “That was a lot of strategy to figure out who to rest, who to put in, and I think the coaches did a great job figuring that out.”<\/div>\n
    Manaudou to one side, Chad Le Clos, winner of the 100 ‘fly ahead of Dressel on Day One (and the 200 by a big margin today), to the other. ON where to place Dressel, a 50 to 200 danger, Lezak said:<\/div>\n
    \n

    “It was a difficult decision, we actually struggled in the 200 free last competition and we debated putting Caeleb in. And we saw Energy Standard put Chad le Clos in there, so that was something where we had a hard time trying to figuring out: Should we use him there, should we not. And it came down to deciding not. And I think it was the right decision. Kacper (Majchrzka) stepped up, swam faster, so that helped a lot.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

    Dressel: Better Than I’d Anticipated<\/h2>\n

    World champion over 50 and 100m freestyle and butterfly last July, Dressel emerged from his ISL debut to pay plaudits to the team concept driving him:<\/p>\n

    “Its been a blast, this is much, much better than I was anticipating, and I was expecting a lot. I don’t really care about my body tonight, it is just about getting points for the team. Whatever they need me to do, I want to be there. I am on a team for a reason, where we need points thats where I want to show up.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    He added: \u201cThis was one of the best meets I have ever been at. The fans, the lights, the music. It is very clean racing, very exciting, very fun energy. It is a very fun meet. Obviously we are still learning, but relays play a huge part, they got us the night. It (the fight agains ES) is really starting to turn into a rivalry already, I enjoy that.<\/p>\n

    “I think it is great for the sport. It’s cool to be part of this time, watch the sport grow. Its cool to see this happen during my time in the pool. There is no pressure here, there is just clean racing.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    More from Caeleb Dressel on showcasing swimming talent:<\/strong><\/p>\n