INDIANAPOLIS — Caeleb Dressel earned his first individual race of the Paris Games, winning the men’s 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Friday night.
Dressel, the winner of five gold medals in Tokyo, finished third in the first individual event, the 100 freestyle, which relegated him to the relay at that distance.
But he’ll get a chance to defend his 50 free title in Paris, powering to a relatively easy victory in the all-out sprint from one end of the pool to the other at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Dressel touched in 21.41 seconds, with Chris Guiliano claiming his third individual race in Paris with a runner-up finish of 21.69.
Guiliano edged Matt King for an Olympic berth by a hundredth of a second, with Jack Alexy taking fourth in 21.76.
It was a busy night to Dressel, who also was competing in the semifinals of his final event, the 100 butterfly. He hustled off the deck to warm down with only about 30 minutes between races.
