Not long after Caeleb Dressel touched the wall on Saturday night to clinch USA’s first gold of the Paris Olympics, his teammate Hunter Armstrong broke down in tears while receiving his medal at the top of the podium.
Dressel could relate. Eight years ago he was the young hotshot reduced to a blubbery mess after winning the first of two golds alongside Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian in the same race on his Olympic debut in Rio. Now the Florida native, who turns 28 next month, is the veteran of a young US swim team looking to keep pace with their mighty Australian rivals.
