Caeleb Remel Dressel is an American freestyle swimming athlete who specializes in backstroke, butterfly, and individual medley events. He was born on August 16, 1996 (age 25 years) in Green Cove Springs, Florida, United States. Most famously known for his gold medal performance at the 2017 world aquatics championships, SwimSwam readers named Dressel as Best Male Swimmer after finishing second behind Ryan Lochte. In addition to winning 15 golds at the World Championships, he broke two world records (long course 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley) and one national record (short course 50 m freestyle).
Quick Bio
| Full Name: | Caeleb Remel Dressel |
| Date of Birth: | 16th August,1996 |
| Place of Birth: | Green Cove Springs, Florida, United States |
| Age: | 25 years old (as of 2021) |
| Profession: | Professional American Swimmer |
| Father's Name: | Michael Dressel |
| Mother's name: | Christina Dressel |
| Spouse: | Meghan Haila |
| Net Worth: | $5 million (approx.) |
| Salary: | $34,000 (approx.) |
Personal Life
He graduated from Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, FL, and trained at Bolles Sharks in Jacksonville, FL. There he met his future wife, Meghan Haila. The couple married in early 2021. He graduated from Florida State University in May 2018.
Caeleb Dressel is the the son of Christina and Michael Dressel. His father specializes in urgent care for cats and dogs, but he has worked extensively in veterinary surgery. He has three siblings named Tyler, Kaitlyn, and Sherridan. Dressel was born into a family of athletes who excelled in swimming and track & field. His parents set numerous national and international records for their respective sports. When Dressel was four years old, he started taking lessons from a local pool instructor who taught him to swim. By eight years old, Dressel was already competing in regional competitions.
Caeleb Dressel’s Career
2012
After competing at the 2012 US Olympic Trials, Dressel started competitive swimming as a high school student. He received public recognition for his performance by leading the 200 yard freestyle race in just 19.95 seconds, becoming the first contestant under age 16 to do so.
2013
In addition to setting a world junior swimming championship record at age 15, Dressel went on to win six golds, two silvers, and one bronze medal during the 2013 FINA World Junior Swimmer’s Championship.
He was also the youngest ever swimmers who completed the 50-yard freestyle race in less than 19 seconds at the 2013 Speedo Winter Junior National Championships.
2015
From 2014 through 2018, Dressel was an undergraduate student attending the University of Florida. He won the 50 yard freestyle race at the NCAA championship meet in 2015.
In addition to winning his first national title in the 200 free relay at the junior level, he was named Most Outstanding Swimmer for both the 50 and 100 meter events. His winning time in the 50 meters was 21.53, and he was ranked 4th in the world as of 2015.
2016
In 2016, Dressel broke the U.S. Open record for the men’s 100 meter free by 0.02 seconds (18.22) and set an American Record of 19.01 in the event during his performance at the Men’s NCAA D1 Championship meet.
In 2016 he won two gold medals in the 100 meter freestyle and 200 meter individual medley competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
2017
At the 2017 World Aquatics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Dressel showed off his versatility, potential, speed, and strength.
In his career, he won seven gold medals and achieved something no one else had done before him.
2018
He won all his swimming races, clinching his first national relay title, and was named an All American swimmer for the second year in a row at the 2018 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship.
2019
In 2019, Dressel won six gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships (WAC) in Gwangju, South Korea, setting new world record times in the 50M Freestyle, 100 M Free Style, 50M Butterfly, 100M Free Style, 50M Backstroke, and 4×50M Free Style Relay. She was named Swimmer of the Meet after winning five individual titles and one relay title.
In addition to winning golds at both the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medleys, he also won two silvers for the 4×100 m mixed medley
He has been compared to Michael Phelps for his swimming prowess.
Caeleb Dressel’s fans expect him to surpass Michael Phelps’ records with his age, talent, and mental and physical strength.
Caeleb Dressel has been added to the roster of the California Condor Swim Club, which makes him one of the club’s first signings in 2019.
Dressel was named the team’s Most Valuable Player after leading the Condors to a 3rd place finish.
2020
While competing for Cali Condors in the international swimming league, Dressel broke four world records at a time of 47.78 for the 100-meter butterfly and 20.16 for the 50-meter freestyle, which he previously held.
Coaching Career
On August 20th, 2020, the 24-year-old signed an ambassador contract with the SPIRIT institute and academy, becoming one of their instructors even though he was just 24 years old.
Achievements and Experience
Olympic Experience
- Two-time Olympian (2016, 2020); seven-time Olympic medalist (7 golds)
- Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, gold (4×100-meter medley relay, 4×100-meter freestyle relay, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 50-meter freestyle); 5th (4×100-meter mixed medley relay)
- Olympic Games Rio 2016, gold (4×100-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter medley relay); 6th (100-meter freestyle)
World Championship Experience
- Most recent: 2019 – gold (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 butterfly, 4×100 freestyle relay, mixed 4×100 freestyle relay); silver (4×100 medley relay, mixed 4×100 medley relay)
- Years of participation: Long Course – 2017, 2019; Short Course – 2018
- Medals: 24 (19 golds, 5 silvers)
- Gold – 2019 (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay, 400 mixed freestyle relay); 2018 (100 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 200 mixed freestyle relay, 200 mixed medley relay); 2017 (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 400 mixed freestyle relay, 400 mixed medley relay)
- Silver – 2019 (400 medley relay, 400 mixed medley relay); 2018 (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay)
Brand Endorsements
On July 19, 2018, Dressel signed his pro swimming career by signing a sponsorship deal with swimsuit company Speedo. In September 2020, the Spire Institute and Academy partnered with Dressel to support students at Spire through curricula development, training, and facilities design. Toyota created an SUV called “The Black Project” with inspiration from Dressel’s tattoos.
Relationship Status
In 2013, Dressel began dating his future wife, Meghan, who was then working at an after school program called “The Center,” which she had attended since high school. They dated for two years before becoming engaged in 2019.
During COVID-19, planning the wedding was one way Dressel kept busy during quarantines, as they were hiking a 60 mile section of the Appalachian Trail for Valentine’s Day weekend, which happened two weeks later than planned. They married on Feb. 13th, 2021, at their shared house in Florida.
Caeleb Dressel on Social Media
Caeleb Dressel has been making waves online over the past few years. He has amassed millions of followers across social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc. He even has his own personal website where fans can check out all kinds of information about him.
Caeleb has more than 600k followers on Instagram, which is pretty impressive considering that it only started in 2020. His posts range from motivational messages to photos of his family life. Furthermore, he has around 6k followers on his Facebook page.
Instagram: @caelebdressel
Facebook: @caelebdresseloly
Website: www.caelebdressel.com