Simone Manuel, Caeleb Dressel qualify for third Olympic teams in inspiring comebacks

Simone Manuel and Caeleb Dressel have been open about their struggles after the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. At these Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, they have inspired the world in their resilience in coming back to qualify for their third Olympic Games.

On Wednesday night in Indianapolis at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Simone Manuel and Caeleb Dressel each clinched their spot on their third Olympic team in Paris, as Dressel was third in the 100m freestyle final and Manuel was fourth – both of them set to represent the United States on the 4x100m freestyle relay.

Although Dressel cannot defend his 100m freestyle gold medal from Tokyo, he’s just happy to be back on the team.

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For Manuel, this is her first major national team trip since the Tokyo Olympics, a trip that was not enjoyable for her.

There was a time in 2019 when Simone Manuel and Caeleb Dressel looked unbeatable. That year, they were the world’s top sprinters, winning the 50m and 100m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju.

They were two of the faces of an American team set to dominate at the Olympics in Tokyo as the two best sprinters in the world. The attention was warranted, but it came with its challenges, and those challenges were amplified when the Games were pushed back a year due to the pandemic.

In late March 2021, Manuel was experiencing unprecedented challenges in training sessions – increased heart rate, weakness, insomnia, depression, anxiety. This led to her being diagnosed with overtraining syndrome 11 weeks out from the Olympic Trials. She still made the team in the 50m freestyle, but she was ninth in the 100m freestyle and wasn’t going to be able to defend her gold from 2016.

Making the Olympic team for Tokyo may have seemed like a normal part of the process, but she wasn’t anywhere near her best. At those Olympics, she won bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay and was 11th in the 50m freestyle.

After the Olympics, she didn’t touch the pool until January 2022. Not only did she not touch the pool, but she was unable to exercise at all per doctor’s orders from her overtraining diagnosis. Not just swimming, the doctors told her she couldn’t go for a walk or do anything that might get her heart rate up.

Manuel spent a lot of time with family and friends, playing Candy Crush, trying new restaurants, and going to concerts.

15 months after the Olympics, she swam in her first competition in October 2022 after moving to Arizona State University to train with coaches Bob Bowman and Herbie Behm. In February 2023, she swam her first double. In March 2024, she won her first major domestic final at a TYR Pro Series against some of the best in the United States. By June 2024, she made her third Olympic team.

“I think anybody who really knows my journey knows how hard it was, knows how hard it was to get back into the pool, to be cleared to get back into the pool,” Manuel told reporters in the press conference Wednesday night. “Going to practice and getting my butt kicked every day, missing intervals, having to modify things until I finally got strong enough to even complete a whole week of work. I basically started from ground zero.

“To make arguably, in my opinion, the best Olympic team ever in swimming with what I went through and really only, I guess, 18 months of good work is something that I can be proud of.

“It definitely wasn’t the result I wanted, but when I really think about how far I’ve come and the mountain that I had to climb, it’s really important for me to look back and be proud of myself for continuing to fight through this process and believe in myself.”

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It’s been a long comeback for Manuel. While talking to reporters in her press conference on Wednesday night, memories flashed to her tearful press conference after missing the final of the 100m freestyle at the 2021 Olympic Trials.

“Maybe it didn’t happen today. But this isn’t the last time you’re going to see me,” Manuel told reporters that day. “And this isn’t the last time you’re going to see me do something great in the pool. And I’m confident in that.”

She was right. Although she was fourth in the 100m freestyle, knowing her story to come back and make her third Olympic team makes this story that much sweeter.

For Dressel, Wednesday night’s third place was a welcomed sight for those who followed his career. After winning five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, Dressel was the best swimmer in the entire world. He joined the short list of swimmers to win three individual events at the same Olympic Games, and set the world record in the 100m butterfly.

Afterwards, he went right back to work, and qualified for four individual events for the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, and was in contention for four relay medals. But after winning two gold medals through four days, Dressel left the meet entirely, scratching out of the remainder of his events.

He didn’t touch the pool for eight months and many in swimming wondered if they would ever see him again.

Dressel took the time to find who he really was without swimming. He went on his honeymoon to Iceland; he swam with manatees, and he explored the outdoors.

He wasn’t happy with swimming, so he briefly walked away from it to find happiness.

By 2023, he was starting to find it in swimming.

Eleven months after the 2022 World Championships, he swam in his first competition. Six and a half weeks later, he swam the 2023 World Trials. There, he was fifth in the 100m butterfly, 19th in the 100m freestyle, and 22nd in the 50m freestyle.

“Those were the times I trained for,” Dressel told Swim Swam in a podcast in August 2023, citing his lack of preparedness.

Dressel went back to work, though, and in November 2023, he collected his first win in a national level meet at the US Open, where he won the 100m butterfly.

In February of this year, Dressel welcomed his son into the world, giving him a new perspective and purpose as he chased his third Olympic team.

On Tuesday in the 100m freestyle heats, Dressel swam 47 seconds for the first time in two years, and he looked like his old self.

Although the narrative has been that he won’t have a chance to defend his Olympic gold in the 100m freestyle, Dressel is happy to be back on the team.

“I’ve come a long way just in the past year, just strictly talking about times,” Dressel told reporters after winning the 50m freestyle on Friday night. “I’m happy to be putting up times I haven’t gone in a really long time, and we’re going to get faster, too, so I’m really looking forward to that.”

Fans and spectators alike have noticed Dressel appears to be in a better place, mentally. He was smiling after finishing third in the 100m freestyle, and his body language shows he’s happy to be here. But Dressel admitted it’s not that way behind closed doors.

“It takes a lot of work,” Dressel said of being able to smile so much at these meets. “There’s parts of this meet I’ve had some very low lows. There’s parts in my hotel room that aren’t on camera, talking to my wife and therapist – it has not been smooth sailing this whole meet. I know y’all get to see all the smiles and I’m working on it. I’m trying to find those moments and really relish in them. It’s been fun.

“I really feel like I’m loved in this sport, and it’s really nice to feel that from the crowd. I haven’t gone a single best time but when I’m walking out, I’m feeling the love from everyone and it’s really special.”

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Dressel has the support of the entire crowd each and every time he walks out. On Friday night, he won the 50m freestyle (21.41) to sit fourth in the world for 2024. In the 100m butterfly semis, he’s the top seed for tomorrow’s final (50.79) to sit sixth in the world rankings.

“I haven’t been in this situation in a long time,” Dressel said. “I did (World) Trials last year but I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of myself. This is a true test, this is a really big test. I feel like I have performed really well. 100 free, I didn’t make it individually but I can’t complain, I got beat. I got beat with one of the fastest heats  we have seen in the sport. I didn’t execute as well as I wanted and there were two guys that were really quick so the goal here is to have the fastest team going into Paris so for the 100m free, I happen to be one of the guys for the 50m free, and the 100m fly I’m really looking forward to it. I have one more session, but the confidence is definitely growing.”