“Crazy to watch it come full circle” - Caeleb Dressel on breaking his idol Michael Phelps’ records

Caeleb Dressel is an American swimmer who has dominated short-distance swims at the Olympics and World Championships. Despite his name being a staple in the sport today, Dressel was once overshadowed by senior swimmer Michael Phelps.

Dressel, at the 2019 FINA World Swimming Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, managed to beat one of the records that Phelps held for a decade: The 100-meter butterfly.

In conversation with Savannah Guthrie and Willie Geist of Today, Dressel addressed how the feat made him feel and said:

"It's crazy to kind of watch it come full circle, I don't remember that exact race in 2009, but I've seen it plenty of times, him swimming and kind of the race strategy."

Caeleb Dressel of the United States competes in the Men's 100m Butterfly Final on day seven of the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships at Nambu International Aquatics Centre on July 27, 2019 in Gwangju, South Korea. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Phelps set the 100-meter butterfly record at the 2009 World Championships in Rome, a decade before Dressel managed to best his time. In the final, Phelps swam a stunning race, stopping the clock at 49.82 seconds.

"It's pretty cool to watch the sport come full circle like that. It's crazy to kind of think if someone asked me as a 12-year-old if I would've been the record holder in 10 years to come, I would've called them crazy."

Michael Phelps of the United States (L) finishes just in front of Milorad Cavic of Serbia to win the gold medal and break a new world record in a time of 49.82 in the Men's 100m Butterfly Final during the 13th FINA World Championships at the Stadio del Nuoto on August 1, 2009 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Dressel, in 2019, stopped the clock at 49.50. At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he shattered his own record and set a new one at 49.45.

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Dressel on breaking the record

Elite athletes are often told to set aside their aspirations to be the best and just perform to the best of their abilities during an event in an attempt to reduce anxiety.

In sports psychology, however, two types of anxiety are described: facilitative or debilitative. Research has shown that the former, in combination with higher self-confidence, helps boost performance while the latter hinders the same.

The hosts posed a question to Dressel, asking him whether the record was on his mind or if he was just thinking about swimming as fast as he could. Dressel's response signified the attitude of an athlete full of confidence and stated:

"That day, it [the record] was [on my mind]. I knew this was going to be my shot to get it. The day after that I was gonna be swimming 100 fly again, but I had an event right before. So I knew that was my time to do it, I wanted to do it, and I think it was just about time to get it done."

Dressel also holds the record for being the fastest swimmer in the first 15 meters of a race.

When he isn't in the pool, he is known for dissecting the science behind the sport through his YouTube channel. His speed in the pool, confidence and attitude combine to make him one of the most anticipated swimmers today.