2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Everyone thought the 50 free / 100 fly double would be a tough one for Caeleb Dressel. While the prelims may well be the session where he has the biggest buffer between the two, he showed us this morning that we can all eat our words.

After a steady 21.61 50 free to qualify 2nd overall, Dressel was in the water about 34 minutes later to swim the first of three 100 fly circle-seeded heats. That was all Dressel needed to swim the fastest textile 100 fly in history, and move into #3 on the all-time performers list in 50.08.

That swim blows past Joseph Schooling‘s previous textile WR of 50.39, done when he won the Olympic gold last summer, as well as Ian Crocker‘s epic 50.40 done way back in 2005.

He’s now 3rd on the all-time list behind Michael Phelps and Milorad Cavic, who both had that epic 2009 showdown when they both went sub-50 seconds in 49.82 and 49.95.

Winning individual gold in both doesn’t seem like a stretch at all at this point. He qualified 1st in the prelims by 1.01 seconds. Schooling was back, 4th overall in 51.21.

Top 5 All-Time Top Performers – Men’s 100 Fly