Not pleasant but worth it

Sprinter Caeleb Dressel became the fourth American to win five gold medals in a single Olympic game, propelling him to the top appreciated by champions Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi. But in a poignant interview after claiming his last medal, he said it was a hellish journey.

“I’m going to take a break, take a little break here,” Dressel told reporters after his victory on Sunday. “I’m pretty swimmer, guys. “

Dressel, a shy 24-year-old who has publicly battled performance stress and anxiety, said the games – highlighted by a slew of scandals in Japan, cases of COVID-19 and superstars like Simone Biles withdrawing from certain events in part due to mental health issues – had opened his eyes.

“It’s not easy, not an easy week at all,” he said at the post-podium press conference. “Some parts were extremely enjoyable. I would say the majority of them weren’t. You can’t sleep properly, you can’t nap shaking all the time. I have probably lost 10 pounds. I will weigh myself and eat when I get back. It is a lot of stress that we put on the body.

Despite the stress and pressure he was feeling, Dressel said, he would do it again. “It’s not the most enjoyable process, but it’s worth it,” he said. “Every part is worth it. Just because it’s bad doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.

Dressel kept a journal to help sift through the emotions that come with being an elite athlete, but said he was unable to write for a few days before his two events on Sunday. , in which he won a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle hours before helping his 4X100 medley relay team to victory. “I don’t even know how to write, raise your arm,” he said. “I don’t know. I want to be in the right frame of mind. Actually, I didn’t keep a diary last night. I was too tired. I want to be in the right frame of mind, maybe be on the flight home, so I can really remember. “

Before sealing his stunning victory, the self-described “bizarre loner” told an I-News sports reporter that he has his own demons. “I’m good enough to put on a face,” Dressel said. “I knew the weight was on my shoulders. [But] the pressure is good. This is when you turn it into stress; that’s when it becomes a problem. During my first swim, I felt like I was turning pressure into stress. The semi-final and the final is when I found my groove.

He also spoke of the criticisms that often plague elite athletes, including deranged far-right punches to Biles, widely recognized as the greatest gymnast of all time. “I know my name is thrown out there and I don’t care,” Dressel said. “It’s something that comes with sport when you’re on the top of the podium. “

He admitted he was getting so nervous that he had to “cocoon” before the big games. He doesn’t even call home. “I have to manage my emotions,” he said. “I can’t call them [wife and parents] every night because I cry a lot and I am an emotional person. So I can’t exercise this energy that I should be putting into my swimming.

Prior to Sunday, his previous delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics medals were the 100-meter freestyle, the 100-meter butterfly – in which he broke his own world record – and the 4 X 100-meter freestyle relay.