LOS ANGELES: Caeleb Dressel won’t def­end his 100m freestyle title at next month’s Paris Games, but after a third-placed finish in a storming final Wednesday at the US Olympic swimming trials he’s ready to make relay history.

Dressel won five golds in Tokyo in 2021, including the 50m and 100m free, and the 100m butterfly.

He took his career tally to seven Olympic golds, but stepped away from the sport abruptly in 2022 and is on the comeback trail after a nine-month break.

In the cut-throat US trials, where only the top two finishers in each event can claim individual Olympic berths, Dressel was squeezed out as Chris Guiliano triumphed in the 100m free in 47.38 and Jack Alexy grabbed second in 47.47.

Dressel was third in 47.53, not quite fast enough to defend his crown in Paris but putting himself in the mix for the 4x100m free relay, where after a look at the scoreboard he said a world record was possible.

“I don’t think we should shy away from it. I think the world-record is 47.3 average, so we’ve got a shot at that,” he said, adding upon closer inspection of the times: “Oh my gosh, top six were under 48. That’s pretty quick.”

The 100m free was Dressel’s first event of the trials in the mammoth Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.

The 27-year-old still has the 50m free and 100m butterfly to come as he tries to return to the pinnacle of swimming after regaining his joy in the sport.

The 20-year-old Guiliano was already headed to his first Olympics after a runner-up finish in the 200m freestyle and Alexy, 21, punched his first Olympic ticket.

In other finals, Katie Ledecky cruised to another dominating win in her signature event, the 1,500m freestyle, while teenager Thomas Heilman became the youngest American man to make the squad in 24 years.

After already secured her place at a fourth Games by winning the 200m and 400m freestyle this week, seven-time Olympic champion Ledecky made it a hat-trick of titles by touching first in 15 minutes, 37.35 seconds, the fastest time in the 1,500m free this year.

The only person unimpressed by Ledecky’s performance was the 27-year-old herself.

“I was pretty excited coming into tonight, would have wanted to swim a little faster but I’ll take it,” said Ledecky her time just .01 second off her gold medal winning time at the Tokyo Summer Games. “I’ll be better in a few weeks.”

Kate Douglass got the evening off to an rousing start by winning the 100m free, powering away at the turn from a quality field packed with Olympians to get to the wall first in 52.56.

Torri Huske touched second ahead of Gretchen Walsh and Simone Manuel, the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games.

All three will be going to Paris as part of the US relay squad.

Minutes later, Heilman had another big crowd of more than 20,000 at Lucas Oil Stadium back on its feet, the 17-year-old punching his ticket to Paris by winning the 200m butterfly in 1:54.50.

Heilman becomes the youngest American man to make the Olympic team since Michael Phelps and Aaron Peirsol at the 2000 Sydney Games.

“Going to the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Heilman. “I’m looking forward to cherishing moment.”

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2024