It was an emotional day for Caeleb Dressel.
The 27-year-old American Olympian swimmer finished sixth in the men’s 50-meter freestyle final despite being one of the favorites for the race.
Then, he finished fifth in the 100-meter butterfly semifinals, failing to qualify for the final as a result.
After that race, Dressel could be seen on the NBC broadcast in tears.
“I’m actually enjoying the moment — I’m at the Olympic Games,” Dressel told reporters. “I won’t forget that. I’d like to be performing better, but I’m not. I trained to go faster than the times I’m going. I know that. So, yeah. It’s tough, a little heartbreaking. A little heartbreaking for sure.”
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He won gold in both races at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — in addition to three others — but the Paris Games have been far less fruitful for the Florida native.
He’ll go home with no medals in individual events, though he has claimed one gold medal in Paris — the 4 X 100-meter freestyle relay.
He’ll have another chance at a team medal in the men’s medley relay.
“It was very obviously not my best work,” Dressel said. “It hasn’t been my best week. I don’t think I need to shy away from that. But the racing has been really fun here. Walking out for the the 50 and the 100 fly, it was special. I don’t want to ever forget that. I’d like to be quicker, obviously. Not my week.”