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Caeleb Dressel is one of the most prominent swimmers in the United States right now. In the post-Michael Phelps era, Dressel remains one of the most popular and best swimmers in the world. That stature is not without its perks, as Dressel is also one of the richest American swimmers of all time.
Only a few active swimmers have a higher net worth than the American swimmer, one of which is Katie Ledecky. Dressel, even though he is around 26 years old, already has a net worth of $5 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth.
It's difficult to determine how much swimmers make in a year because it ultimately depends on how much they swim and how well they do. If they compete and do well in a lot of competitions, they'll make more money.
If they don't do a lot of competitions or don't do well in the competitions they do compete in, their funds will suffer as a result.
For example, at the 2019 World Championships, the swimmer took home six gold medals and two silvers. As a result, he came away with $110,000.
In the 2020 ISL (International Swimming League) season in 2020, the American landed nearly $292,000 in prize money.
For his five gold medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the swimmer earned over $560,000 (all figures via MySwimPro). So in 2020, he probably made well over $1 million.
However, the Olympics don't occur every year, so half of that figure is probably somewhere around what the swimmer earns in a year. It can vary widely, though, since he's neither on an hourly wage or a salary.
Is Caeleb Dressel better than Michael Phelps?
Naturally, being one of the top swimmers in the world and the United States draws comparisons to Michael Phelps. Many have wondered if Caeleb Dressel can be better than the retired Olympian.
However, he himself shut down those comparisons by saying:
“I don't think it's fair to Michael. He's a better swimmer than me. I'm completely fine with saying that. That's not my goal in the sport, to beat Michael. I'm a very different athlete than Michael. He was at a whole other level.”
He added that he doesn't have to compare himself to Phelps to consider himself a great swimmer. He is a great swimmer and one of the world's best, but there's no one like Phelps.
Dressel had an incredible run at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, taking home five gold medals. That would be a great run for anybody, but it pales in comparison to Phelps' best.
In 2008, Phelps set the record for gold medals in a single Olympics with eight, a run that is both unprecedented and unparalleled.
It's very unlikely that anyone ties or tops that record, let alone Dressel. There's no shame in that, either. If Phelps is the best, then everyone else is behind that and they're probably fine with that placement.
Caeleb Dressel is going to compete in at least one more Olympics and increase his medal count, but he's unlikely to catch the greatest swimmer of all time.
