Watch: Caeleb Dressel returns to action for first time in a year, finishes second at Atlanta Classic 2023

Caeleb Dressel's long awaited return to competitive swimming came during the 2023 Atlanta Classic. Apart from returning to competitive swimming, he also finished as the runner-up in the 100m butterfly event.

The Florida-born swimmer's last competitive appearance before the 2023 Atlanta Classic was during the 2022 World Championships in Budapest. He withdrew midway from the championships due to health reasons. Since then he has been away from the pool.

It was recently announced that Dressel will be competing in the 2023 Atlanta Classic when the psych sheets for the competition were released. His first official race since the 2022 World Championships was the prelims of the 100m butterfly event.

In his first official race, Caeleb's strokes looked smooth. He completed the first 50 meters in 25.38 and the next 50 in 28.22. In the prelims of the 100m butterfly, Dressel finished in third place with a time of 53.60 behind Josh Liendo and Martin Espernberger.

The video of Caeleb's first official race since the 2022 World Championships can be seen below:

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Caeleb Dressel finishes second in his comeback meet

Caeleb Dressel, who returned to competitive swimming at the 2023 Atlanta Classic, finished in second place in the 100m butterfly event. In the prelims of the 100m butterfly, he finished in third place with a time of 53.60.

Competing in the finals of the 100m butterfly event, Caeleb put on a strong finish by swimming just 0.2 seconds slower than the first-placed Josh Liendo in the final 50 meters. He was in third place during the halfway mark, according to SwimSwam.

His strong finish in the final 50 meters helped Caeleb Dressel finish in second place in the 100m butterfly with a time of 52.41. This would be a huge boost for Caeleb in finding his rhythm again as he's been away from competitive swimming for over a year.

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How was Caeleb Dressel's performance in other events at 2023 Atlanta Classic?

Caeleb finished second in the 100m butterfly event at the 2023 Atlanta Classic. When the psych sheets for the 2023 Atlanta Classic were released, it was announced that he will be competing in six events, namely the 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 200m individual medley, and 100m freestyle.

Caeleb Dressel competes in the Men's 100 LC Meter Butterfly during day one of the 2023 Speedo Atlanta Classic

While finishing second in the 100m butterfly, Caeleb earned another top-three finish as well. The Olympic gold medalist finished in third place in the 50m freestyle with a time of 22.57.

But he didn't compete in the 100m freestyle finals and the 200m individual medley prelims. Dressel declared a false start in the 200m freestyle. He swam in the 200m butterfly prelims and clocked a time of 2:05.18 but opted out of the finals.

Despite his comeback meet being filled with ups and downs, Caeleb Dressel will be looking forward to getting back to his absolute best ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is just a year away.