Caeleb Dressel Confirms Plans To Race At Austin Pro Swim This Week

2026 PRO SWIM SERIES – AUSTIN

Nine-time Olympic champion Caeleb Dressel has confirmed his participation for this week’s opening leg of the 2026 Pro Swim Series in Austin, posting on Instagram this morning with a caption hinting that he’s wanting ahead to racing.

The 29-year-old will compete for the second time since making the transfer from the University of Florida professional group to the Sporting Jax Aquatic Club beneath former Gator coach Steve Jungbluth at first of October, taking over a extra personalised coaching program that he dove into late final 12 months on the SwimSwam Podcast.

Dressel competed for the primary time since early August ultimately month’s U.S. Open, posting respectable instances of 21.94 within the 50 free, 23.45 within the 50 fly and 51.33 within the 100 fly, along with his 50 free swim notably matching what he produced in August and his 50 fly efficiency simply shy of what he went on the U.S. Summer Championships (23.28). In the 100 fly, he went beneath 52 seconds for the primary time for the reason that Paris Olympics.

This week’s meet in Austin will notably be the primary time Dressel competes on the January leg of USA Swimming’s Pro Swim Series, having often waited till the March meet to make his PSS debut for the 12 months. (USA Swimming didn’t host a January meet in 2025 and the 2022 version was canceled.)

Entered along with his instances from the 2024 Olympic Trials, Dressel is seeded 2nd within the 50 free (21.41) and 100 fly (50.19) and fifth within the 100 free (47.53) this week in Austin.

He’s additionally ranked 4th within the 50 fly along with his 23.28 clocking from the 2025 U.S. Summer Championships, a swim that noticed him narrowly miss out on a spot on the 2026 U.S. Pan Pacific Championship roster.

Despite not being on the Pan Pac roster, Dressel nonetheless has a lot to stay up for in 2026, doubtless concentrating on the U.S. National Championships in late July in lengthy course earlier than eyeing a spot on the U.S. group for the Short Course World Championships on the finish of the 12 months in Beijing. USA Swimming CEO Kevin Ring has mentioned the group is planning to host a variety meet for SC Worlds this coming fall.

Dressel will tackle a loaded subject this week that features the 2 males who beat him out for a person spot within the 100 free on the 2024 Olympics, Jack Alexy (additionally the brand new American Record holder within the 100 free, having damaged Dressel’s report final summer season) and Chris Guiliano, plus French powerhouse Maxime Grousset, who’s the reigning world champion within the males’s 50 and 100 fly.