U.S. swimmer Dressel wins first individual gold, winning the 100 freestyle Caeleb Dressel won three previous Olympic gold medals in relays. Associated Press Share Caeleb Dressel of the United States celebrates winning the men’s 100-meter freestyle final at the Summer Olympics, Thursday at Tokyo. Matthias Schrader/Associated Press TOKYO — In an Olympics where many of the favorites have faltered, Caeleb Dressel lived up to the hype. Dressel claimed the first individual Olympic gold medal of his career with two furious laps of the pool Thursday morning, winning the 100-meter freestyle over defending champion Kyle Chalmers. As is his style, Dressel dived into the pool and came up with the lead. He was still ahead at the lone flip, and turned away the Aussie’s bid for a second straight gold.