adminBUDAPEST. — Caeleb Dressel says comparisons with US swim legends Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz are premature even though he stands on the verge of matching their historic feats.
The 20-year-old Dressel became the first American swimmer to win three gold medals in one day at the world aquatic championships on Saturday.
He kicked off his historic performance at the Duna Arena by winning the 50m freestyle and the 100m butterfly golds within half an hour. Then he helped the USA break the world-record for the mixed 4x200m freestyle for a hat-trick of golds — all inside 90 minutes.
Dressel revealed he was congratulated for his jaw-dropping exploits by Phelps via an SMS text message, but is uneasy about being compared to his idol.
“I don’t want to be compared to Michael – I love Michael,” said Dressel, who swam alongside Phelps at the 2016 Olympics.
“I love him to death, he just texted me to say ‘good job’ — he’s a heckuva guy, a heck of a leader.” — AFP.
Online Reporter