Olympic Swimmer Caeleb Dressel Stepped Away From Doing What He Loved for Self-Care

Olympic swimmer Caeleb Dressel created a name for himself and was almost instantly primed to be the next Michael Phelps. The Florida-born athlete gained attention for his ability to make impressive moves in the pool, from freestyle to breaststroke to butterfly.

Caeleb's road to success hasn't been an easy feat. He's navigated through many ups and downs throughout his career, including him making the decision to step away from his dreams to focus on his health. So, what happened to Caeleb? Here's what we know.

As one of the most visible professional swimmers in the world, Caeleb has shared details of his personal life. He's specifically opened up about his mental health struggles, including anxiety. According to TIME, in 2022, Caeleb withdrew from that year's World Championships, citing health reasons. He later shared that he needed to take a break from swimming altogether to focus on his mental health.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Caeleb opened up about what he was going through leading up to his break, including him being uninterested in tracking his progress or prioritizing his physical health.

"“F--k me," he recalled saying to himself. "F--k my body. F--k swimming. Jeez. Yeah, there’s a totally different side of the sport that a lot of people don’t see. There’s this whole four-year process, and you’re getting down to the crunch, crunch, crunch time and it’s this. It’s this type of stuff, of ‘I want it to be perfect,’ and you just feel like trash. … Those are real words I was feeling in that moment. I try to be as honest with myself as I can in these books, ’cause these aren’t for—well until now—these aren’t really for anybody else’s eyes.”

Caeleb also shared that his mental health battles had become apparent to his family. His mother, Christina Dressel, told Sports Illustrated she initially confused his panic attacks with heart attacks, stating he was also "white as a ghost, slurring his speech and shaking." Caeleb's mom further said she had to convince him to leave his bedroom during his darkest moments.

"I was like, ‘Caeleb you have to get out of this dark room…’ He was just in a deep depression,” she said. “He just didn’t want to be around people … I think it was just a reminder of, ‘Great, I let this person down ’cause I didn’t get a world record.’”

After he took a step away from swimming, many of Caeleb's fans weren't sure if he would return to the sport he dominated. Fortunately, after spending eight to nine months out of the pool, he realized he wanted to continue with the sport. He credited his return to the sport he loved to becoming a father. In February 2024, he and his wife, Meghan, welcomed their son, August. August's birth fueled Caeleb's Paris 2024 Olympic championships, where he took home two swimming golds.

In June 2025, Caeleb expanded his family again when his daughter, Josie Eloise, was born. With his family by his side, there's nothing he can't achieve, in and outside of the pool!