Caeleb Dressel clocks 48.30 100 Freestyle at Atlanta Classic

Caeleb Dressel times 48.30 100 Freestyle at Atlanta Classic (men’s rally)

Last year’s Atlanta Classic marked the first meeting in which Caeleb Dressel has been racing for almost a year, and since then he has steadily progressed toward top form as he aims to qualify for his third Olympic team next month. Swimming again at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Dressel posted his top 100 free time since 2022 in his final racing opportunity before the trials.

Dressel swam a time of 48:30 Thursday evening, coming out in 23:26 and trailing Jorge Iga before showing off his scintillating halfback speed with a 25.04. Dressel’s time broke his previous season’s best of 48.40 at last month’s Pro Swim Series competition in San Antonio, and he is now the fourth-fastest American this year, behind Chris Guiliano, Matt King And Jack Alexy.

Of the three competitions that make up the USA Swimming Club Excellence Challenge, Dressel’s time stood out as the best mark of the evening, although Alexy swam a little faster in the preliminaries at the Irvine competition with a time of 48.20. Alexy clocked 48.37 on the evening to finish just seven hundredths off Dressel’s mark.

In Atlanta, Iga took second in 48.57, with Dressel’s compatriots, the Florida Gators. Macguire McDuff third (49.19) and Julian Smith fourth (49.55). Also included are the top three in Irvine Andres Dupont Cabrera (49.33) and Henry McFadden (49.35) in Austin, Shaine Casas clocked 49.00 to secure victory ahead of Saint Condorelli (49.22) and Camden Taylor (49.68).

Other events contested included the 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle.

100 breaststroke

Yevgeny Somov clocked 58.72 in the 100 breaststroke preliminaries to wipe out her entry time of 1:00.83. This mark broke the Russian national record. That of Anton Chupkov 58.83. Somov then clocked a winning mark of 59.34 in the final. However, it is unlikely that he will be able to participate in the Paris Olympics, as he will have to obtain neutral athlete status due to Russia’s ban from the Games.

Somov was followed by Carles Coll Marti (1:00.39) and Miguel DeLara (1:00.69), while Nicholas Finkfresh off a world title in this event in February, won in Austin with a time of 1:00.35, beating Jake Foster (1:00.88) and Will Licon (1:01.79).

200 butterfly

Martin Espernbergeran Austrian swimmer who trains at the University of Tennessee, won his main event in 1:56.12, while Mason Laur came second (1:57.10) and Jack Dahlgren touched third (1:58.19). In Austin, meanwhile, no swimmer broke 2:00, with Ryan Branon securing the best time in 2:01.43.

400 free

It was the Florida Gators show in the men’s 400 freestyle, with Alphonse Mestre winning in 3:48.10 ahead of two of his Olympic medalist teammates. Kieran Smithbronze medalist in this event at the 2021 Games, touched the star of the distance Bobby Finke by a hundredth, 3:49.00 to 3:49.01. Rex Maurer dominated the Austin heat with a time of 3:50.25.