Twenty-two-year-old Caeleb Dressel broke retired Olympic champion Michael Phelps’ world record in the 100-meter butterfly last week.
The 8-time world champion gold medalist beat his competition at the world swimming championship in Gwangju, South Korea with 49.50 seconds, narrowly beating Phelps by 0.32 seconds, according to Faithwire. Phelps set the previous record at the 2009 world meet in Rome.
“Just the standard that Michael set, wanted to go after it,” Dressel told USA Today after the heat. “I hope he was happy watching me do that.”
Phelps shared a photo of Dressel on Instagram after the race with congratulations. “Many congrats to @caelebdressel!! So sick to watch your start, turns, under water (sic), and of course your stroke! Swimming super-fast this week! Finish strong! #usa #welldeserved”
Dressel thanked the superstar athlete. “I appreciate you and what you’ve done for us,” he responded.
The Florida native is no stranger to strong victories. He first won an Olympic gold medal alongside Phelps in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay in Rio de Janeiro. Last year, he tied Phelps with seven gold medals in the world championships. This year, he broke all records with eight medals.
As a Christian, Dressel believes his gifts should be used for God’s glory. “…[T]he reason I’m in the sport, not just to go fast times, but…
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