Caeleb Dressel Sets Olympics Record, Wins Gold in 100M Freestyle

Caeleb Dressel had already won gold medals in relay events on the Olympic stage. On Thursday in Tokyo, he took the top step of the podium on his own.

Dressel won gold in the 100m individual freestyle, setting a new Olympics record in the process. He finished with a time of 47.02, beating the previous time of 47.05.

Australia's Kyle Chalmers took silver, finishing just behind Dressel with a time of 47.08. Kliment Kolesnikov of Russia came in third at 47.44.

After keeping his focus leading up to and through the end of the race, Dressel's emotions came to the surface in his post-race interview.

Dressel, 24, has already turned in a remarkable performance in Tokyo, but his work is not yet done. He's still set to compete for gold in the individual 50m freestyle and 100m fly, as well as two more relay events. The possibility of winning six gold medals still in play is a big reason why Dressel is seen as the heir apparent to Michael Phelps.

Sign up for our free daily Olympics newsletter: Very Olympic Today. You'll catch up on the top stories, smaller events, things you may have missed while you were sleeping and links to the best writing from SI’s reporters on the ground in Tokyo.