Shortly after noon Wednesday, August Dressel was out and about on the streets of Indianapolis. August, just four months old, was pushed in a stroller by his mother, Meghan, accompanied by his aunt Sherridon Dressel. Sucking on a pacifier in the Midwestern heat, August was blissfully unaware of what was hovering over his father.
Caeleb Dressel was swimming for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team after two years of running away from the sport and moving back. Becoming a father was part of the journey, perhaps the kind of life development that can prevent a man from being his own harshest critic.
Simone Manuel has experienced a major change in her life in recent months: getting married. She too had fallen into physical and mental disarray in recent years, not knowing if she would ever become a great swimmer again.
On an electric and emotional night at Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday, Dressel and Manuel returned. There were tears, from Manuel on the podium and from Dressel as he held August and kissed him. We smiled at a mission at least partly accomplished by two 27-year-olds who bear the scars of their wicked sport.
At any other time, it would have been deeply disappointing for the American record holder in the 100 freestyle to finish third (Dressel) and fourth (Manuel) in this event. But not at this stage. They are both third-time Olympians, navigating a purgatory that remains partly mysterious.
They are still capable of elite performances and still able to bring fans to their feet. The largest crowd ever for an indoor swimming meet, 22,209, bathed them in welcoming cheers.
“In reality, this sport has been a very lonely place for me,” Manuel said. “I think after Tokyo (in 2021), I felt even more alone. …Being in that arena and being surrounded by those fans was honestly so healing.
Manuel spoke articulately about her return from overtraining syndrome, which left her a shell of herself during the Olympic trials three years ago. She earned a spot on the team in the 50 freestyle, then left the pool for five months to rest. She changed coaches, trained with Bob Bowman at Arizona State, and then gradually and steadily dug herself out of a deep hole.
“I definitely think through the process there were times where I was like why am I doing this? I can think back to some of the meets and results that I had in these competitions, and you go home on Sunday, and I’m like, I really don’t want to go to practice on Monday. Like I wasn’t ready to go back just because I wasn’t seeing the progress I wanted.
“So I think there was a lot of ebb and flow during the journey, but I don’t think in my mind it was ever possible to stop. I don’t know, going through the hardships in 2021 has been a difficult journey, so I felt like in some way I had armor to be able to get through this one.
Dressel has not spoken publicly at all, as has been his recurring position for nearly a year. The men’s press conference for the top four finishers in the event – Chris Guiliano, Jack Alexy, Dressel and Hunter Armstrong – was canceled Wednesday evening, apparently because Alexy was delayed in drug testing. (He was outside the room signing autographs shortly after the interview was canceled, so that’s interesting.) But Dressel wasn’t going to show up anyway.
He has become lonely since his breakdown at the 2022 World Championships in Hungary, dropping out of competition after two events and stopping swimming for months. He immersed himself in therapy to deal with what was plaguing him.
Here in Indianapolis last summer, Dressel attempted to make a comeback at the U.S. National Championships. His lack of training showed and he didn’t come close to making the team. But it was at least a step back, as he gradually put the pieces together.
Dressel returned to competition this spring and continued to stay on track during competitions in March, April and May. By the time he got to Indy, he was a reasonable facsimile of himself – not Peak Caeleb, but again one of the fastest men in America.
In the 100 freestyle final on Wednesday evening, Dressel, as usual, was the first to cross the 15-meter mark, when swimmers must cross the surface. He fell back to fourth at the turn, but closed furiously in the final meters to almost catch Guiliano, first, and Alexy, second. Dressel’s time of 47.53 seconds puts him just 0.15 behind Guiliano. It was also his best time since 2021, when he won five gold medals in Tokyo and dominated the sport.
With the top six all breaking 48 seconds, the collective performances in the 100 free bode well for the United States in the 400 free relay. The American men are besieged by competitors from around the world, but they can plant their flag with this relay at the start of the Olympic calendar.
“Oh my God, top six under 48!” Dressel exclaimed on NBC as he looked at the scoreboard to see the race results. “It’s fast.”
Then, Dressel almost left the pool without doing the one thing everyone who makes the Olympic team aspires to do: signing the oversized postcard from Paris. Guiliano had to grab it and remind him to put his autograph on it.
The women were just as fast, with seven of eight going over 54 seconds and the top two, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske, going over 53 seconds. Manuel didn’t go as fast Wednesday as she did in the first two rounds, finishing in 53.25 seconds. But it was enough to secure another appearance at the Summer Games for a woman with five Olympic medals to her name.
“Hearing Simone’s story is very moving,” said Gretchen Walsh, who finished third. “I think she is an excellent example to put into perspective what you can experience in this sport. It’s very unforgiving.
“She is a true source of inspiration for all members of the American team. I’m excited to have him as a role model in Paris, and I’m just looking forward to my first Olympics with his third Olympics, and it should be one for the books, that’s for sure.
Dressel will have two more chances to make the team in the individual events, in the 100 fly and the 50 free. Manuel will also have a chance in the 50. They may not make it and they may never again be the swimmers they once were. But they returned to the sport at Olympic level, after falling into the depths. That’s a victory in itself.