Caeleb Dressel failed to add a second gold medal around his neck in Paris.
The 27-year-old Florida native was unable to clinch an eighth overall Olympic gold in the men’s 50-meter freestyle final on Friday afternoon — a race for which he is known for — and finished in a disappointing sixth place.
Known for his strong starts, Dressel didn’t come off the block in his usual fashion and quickly fell behind winner Aussie McEvoy with a time of 21.25 seconds.
Silver belongs to Benjamin Proud of Great Britain (21.30) and bronze with Frechman Florent Manaudou (21.56).
Dressel finished in 21.61 seconds.
Dressel previously won a gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay in Paris.
During the Olympic trials in June, Dressel earned a rather easy victory in the 50m free. It certainly wasn’t as easy in Paris.
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
“Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s tough. That was a tough one,” Dressel said at the trials. “I was not super confident until I got up on that block. There’s only so much you can do in the 50. It’s head down and go fast.”