On August 29, world-class swimmers Caeleb Dressel and Coleman Stewart chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos following the International Swimming League (ISL) Season 3 Match 2 competition that took place in Naples, Italy. This interview was a part of an athlete virtual mixed zone, which was hosted by the ISL.
They are both a part of the Cali Condors swimming team, where Olympian Jason Lezak serves as the General Manager and Jeff Julian is the Head Coach. The ISL Season 3 competition airs on the CBS Sports Network.
Coleman Stewart
Stewart was the MVP of Match 2 earning 95 points, with Cali Condors teammate Caeleb Dressel being the second-higher scorer for the team with 93 points. Stewart obliterated the world record in the men’s 100 meter backstroke race with a time of 48.33 seconds (Kliment Kolesnikov’s previous WR was 48.58 seconds).
As a result, Stewart earned the first-ever ISL full jackpot of 37 points. “Short course meters is my bread and butter,” Stewart admitted. “It’s a little bit different than short course yards. I am happy to be back in my wheelhouse. It was pretty cool to get that record.”
Caeleb Dressel
“It’s kind of funny, we are so used to racing yards in America, and it is so different,” Dressel. “It is interesting to see the Americans starting to find their groove with Season 3 of ISL, even me, I am still figuring things out with short course meters. From Season 1 until now, I have already established stoke counts and kick counts, which is exciting.”
“I have been in this sport for a very long time but there are still aspects like having a different sized pool that I am getting used to, and I think it is more exciting to watch. There are different elements that you don’t see as much such as the undies, I think that’s huge, and it’s exciting to watch,” Dressel added.
“The goal coming into this meet was to have fun, it’s as simple as that,” Dressel said. “I couldn’t be worried about times or a scoreboard and the ISL is a perfect place to go and get back into shape, get back into my groove, and be around my people again. After having one meet down, I am looking forward to the next one.”
Nice words towards Sherridon Dressel
Caeleb also complimented his sister, Sherridon, for her two wins in the backstroke races for the Cali Condors. “I am sick and tired of her being known as Caeleb’s little sister. I should be known as Sherridon’s big brother, that’s fairer,” Caeleb said.
“Sherridon rips. It’s so exciting watching her swim and making her own name. She won two events here, which is awesome. It is so exciting for the girl, she has only gotten better. I train with her and I am really scared of her in practice, especially backstroke. In the backstroke skins, she knows what she is doing more than I do,” Caeleb elaborated.
