Quotes from Caeleb Dressel

I want these medals to be for everyone, not just myself.

It can be a scary thought to do something that's never been done before.

I don't mind the sun at all, I like it.

I was super insecure in middle school; I didn't tell anyone I swam because it wasn't the cool sport to be doing.

I pick and choose when I like to have my moments.

I've got pimples on my face, I'm losing some hair.

I want to have a diploma to hang on my wall. Even if I don't use it, I can say I graduated from UF.

I didn't want to learn the butterfly because it's hard. I got it right away, but I didn't want to do it.

The whole podium time was like it was in slow motion. I was watching the flag go up realizing I'm part of one of the greatest countries on earth.

It's just me and the water, and I'll share the water with my teammates.

I never eat a lot before I get in the water because I don't want to, you know.

I don't want to end up leaving the sport early or hating it because I didn't give myself time to respect the water and I feel like the water has always respected me. I would like to prioritize myself a little bit more instead of swimming.

I always look for the bad. There's plenty to improve on.

You don't want to show anything, any behavior giveaways that your competition might see, right?

I swear every day I love it more and more. If you want to go 47.0 in a 100 free and you're 47.1, you have all these years behind you and it comes down to a 47-second race. It can be so brutal sometimes, but that's the part I like about it.

I can be proud of every swim, every effort I put in the water, every mental approach to every single race.

Whatever other people expect me to do, whatever they're comparing me to, I don't care. I'm just trying to swim fast.

Everything I do in the gym translates to being a better swimmer.

Being on the podium, of course, is enjoyable, but the majority of what - not just myself, not just swimmers, I think the majority of all athletes - it's not necessarily fun, the core of the whole process.

I'm pretty over swimming, guys.

I wanted swimming to be something that I loved, something that I was motivated to do for myself.

We play a lot of Nintendo games, a lot of Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, a few different card games, really just stuff so we can stay loose and get your mind off of swimming before going into the meet with full focus.

For me, it's about swimming faster. Anything that's not pertaining to swimming faster is irrelevant to me.

As a 17-year-old kid, people put you on this podium, and it seems like you're just a source of entertainment for people. I felt like I was swimming for other people and they'd never be satisfied.