Caeleb Dressel’s wife Meghan has opened up the ‘sacrifices’ the swimmer has made to achieve Olympic glory — as fans go wild over the ‘stunning’ blonde therapist on social media.
The high school sweethearts stopped by the Today show’s Studio 1A with Caeleb’s parents on Tuesday morning for a post-Olympics interview, just hours after he arrived back in the U.S. from Japan.
Caeleb, 24, won five gold medals in Tokyo, bringing his career total to seven, and Meghan, 23, radiated with pride as she spoke of her husband’s dedication to the sport.
‘The world will never fully understand what he goes through,’ she told Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. ‘You know, like, we get to see the entertainment and the show and the day in day out, like the sacrifices and the discipline and everything that he has put into this, like, there’s no words to really encompass all that he’s done.’
Celebration: Olympic swimmer Caeleb Dressell, 24, showed off his gold medals while visiting the Today show with his wife Meghan and his parents
Candid: Meghan, 23, opened up about the ‘sacrifices’ Caeleb has made over the years to compete in his second Olympics
Proud: Meghan told Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie that the ‘world will never fully understand’ what Caeleb has gone through to achieve everything he has
Caeleb, who also won two gold medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016, has emerged as one of the biggest stars of this year’s Summer Games.
Not only did he join the ranks of Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz when he became just the third American male swimmer to win three individual golds in a single Olympics, but he also broke his own world record in the 100-meter butterfly after coming in at 49.45 seconds.
Meghan and the rest of Caeleb’s family had to watch him compete from halfway around the world in their home state of Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they were with him in spirit every step of the way.
The Dressels captured the hearts of millions when footage of Meghan cheering Caeleb on at a watch party during the men’s 100-meter freestyle last Tuesday went viral.
Meghan enthusiastically jumped up and down and cheered for her husband during the race. She nearly fell over from excitement when he finished in first place, and then she burst into tears of joy.
Legend: Caeleb (pictured with his gold medal for the 50-meter freestyle) won five gold medals in Tokyo, bringing his career total to seven, and he also broke his own world record
Support: The Dressels captured the hearts of millions when footage of Meghan cheering Caeleb on at home last Tuesday during the men’s 100-meter freestyle (pictured) went viral
Look of love: The freestyle and butterfly swimmer was visibly emotional as he spoke with his family remotely after the final, and there were tears in Meghan’s eyes as well
Popular wife: Meghan earned some fans of her own after the interview as viewers took to Twitter to gush about how she is ‘stunning’ and ‘ridiculously pretty’
The freestyle and butterfly swimmer was visibly emotional as he spoke with his family remotely after the final, and there were tears in Meghan’s eyes as well.
‘We love you so much,’ she told him. ‘We’re so proud of you.’
Meghan earned some fans of her own after the interview as viewers took to Twitter to gush about how she is ‘stunning’ and ‘ridiculously pretty.’
‘Caeleb Dressel’s wife is going to get more endorsement deals than Caeleb,’ one person joked, while another added: ‘Yes Caeleb Dressel is hot but why are we not talking about his wife.’
‘Yeah I did immediately find Caeleb Dressel’s wife on IG and watch their wedding video #TokyoOlympics hashtag goals,’ someone else shared.
At the prom: Caeleb and Meghan both hail from Green Cove Springs, Florida. The couple met in high school as competitive swimmers and started dating in 2013 when Caeleb was 16
Talented: Meghan has an impressive swimming recorder herself. In high school, she was a two-time state champion in the 100-meter breaststroke. She also competed in college (pictured)
Throwback: Meghan went to Creekside High School, while Caeleb graduated from Clay High School (pictured)
Rival schools: Caeleb went on to swim at the University of Florida in Gainesville while Meghan attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, where she also swam collegiately
Caeleb and Meghan both hail from Green Cove Springs, Florida, and they started dating in 2013 when he was 16 years old. They met as competitive swimmers on the Bolles School Sharks club team, although neither of them attended the private school in Jacksonville.
The future Olympian went to Clay High School, while Meghan was a student at Creekside High School, where she was a two-time state champion in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Old photos of the couple show them posing together on prom night and celebrating their respective high school graduations. Caeleb went on to swim at the University of Florida in Gainesville while Meghan attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, where she also swam collegiately.
Caeleb told FINA last year that Meghan swam competitively, mainly the breaststroke, up until her sophomore year of college, explaining that she stopped ‘to pursue her dream of becoming a child-family counselor.’
Their respective universities were over two hours away by car, but the couple stayed together despite the distance and their schools’ ongoing rivalry.
Love: The couple’s respective universities were over two hours away by car, but they made their long-distance relationship work
Road to success: Caeleb and Meghan were both still in college when he won two gold medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio
Achieving their dreams: While Caeleb was training for the Olympics, Meghan was pursuing a master’s degree in counseling and education from the University of Florida
Professional life: Meghan now works as a marriage and family therapist after finishing graduate school last year
Meghan opened up about their relationship after Caeleb competed in the Rio Olympics in 2016, saying they were both dedicated to making their relationship work while they achieved their dreams.
‘To be honest it’s not always easy, but I’m a firm believer in that if you want to spend time with someone, you make the time,’ she told Odyssey. ‘Both of us just make time for each other whenever we can and we’ve made it work for two years now being across state. I think because we’ve had to deal with distance, it’s made us stronger as a couple.’
Caeleb was a two-time Olympic gold medalist when he graduated from UF in 2018. That same year, Meghan received her bachelor’s degree from FSU after majoring in family and child sciences and psychology.
While her longtime love continued to swim competitively, she worked toward her master’s degree in education and marriage and family therapy/counseling at his alma mater, the University of Florida.
In November 2019, Meghan was over a year away from graduation and Caeleb was training for the Olympic trials when he proposed at Shands Pier in Jacksonville.
Romance: In November 2019, Meghan was over a year away from graduation and Caeleb was training for the Olympic trials when he proposed at Shands Pier in Jacksonville
Three’s company: The couple share a black Labrador retriever named Jane (pictured)
Newlyweds: Caeleb and Meghan wed in their home city of Jacksonville at Bowing Oaks Plantation on February 13, 2021, over Valentine’s Day weekend
Influencer: Meghan has an impressive 44,000 followers on Instagram, including actor Leslie Jordan
Her elegant engagement ring was designed by Jack Sutton Jewelry and features a solitaire cut diamond on a simple white gold band, SwimSwam reported.
Caeleb’s sister Kaitlyn captured the moment and shared the heartwarming photos on Instagram, writing: ‘Hands down — this was my FAVORITE surprise proposal TO DATE. My little brother & one of my best friends get to spend the rest of their lives together!!!’
Caeleb and Meghan wed in their home city of Jacksonville at Bowing Oaks Plantation on February 13, 2021, over Valentine’s Day weekend, with their black Labrador retriever, Jane, among the attendees.
When the swimmer competed in the Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, in June, his new wife was there to cheer him on, just like she did in 2016.
Meghan, who now works as a marriage and family therapist, has an impressive 44,000 followers on Instagram, including actor Leslie Jordan.
Too cute: Meghan has been by Caeleb’s side throughout his career, including two Olympics
All together: Meghan joined Caeleb’s parents and siblings as they cheered him on at a viewing party during the 100-meter butterfly last Friday
Thrilled: Meghan’s face was full of emotion when he won the gold in the event
Aww: Before she was reunited with her Caeleb in New York on Monday, she paid tribute to him on Instagram, sharing cheeky snapshot of herself kissing a life-size cardboard cutout of him
Tribute: ‘The world will never truly understand all this man has endured to have the successes he has. He fights every single day,’ she wrote of her husband
Her influencer status will likely continue to grow now that her husband’s success has once again thrust her into the spotlight.
Before she was reunited with her Caeleb in New York on Monday, she paid tribute to him in her latest post, sharing photos of the watch parties she attended in Orlando, including a cheeky snapshot of herself kissing a life-size cardboard cutout of her husband.
‘There aren’t enough words to express all that I’m feeling. Getting to be Caeleb’s wife and see the day in, day out, dedication, sacrifice, trials and joys that come with this sport is such a gift,’ she wrote.
‘The world will never truly understand all this man has endured to have the successes he has. He fights every single day. It’s a privilege to witness and my heart couldn’t be more full seeing big dreams realized.
‘Thank you thank you thank you to the best friends and family in the world for wiping tears, holding hands, cracking jokes and the endless support this week. You are all so loved!’ she continued. ‘
‘And to Caeleb…I love you with all that I am. I am so proud of all that you are. Come on home babe, you did it.’