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Swimmer Caeleb Dressel tears up after family's epic reaction to his gold medal

Dressel was momentarily speechless after setting an Olympic record in the 100-meter freestyle swim.
/ Source: TODAY

Team USA swimmer Caeleb Dressel set a new Olympic record and won a gold medal but what momentarily rendered him speechless was his own family's reaction to his win.

Dressel, who was already the world champion in the race, set an Olympic record time of 47.02 seconds.

Swimming - Olympics: Day 6
Caeleb Dressel celebrates winning the 100-meter freestyle final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.Ian MacNicol / Getty Images

As he did, his family at a watch party in Orlando, Florida cheered their hearts out. His mom, at one point, hid behind his dad, unable to watch, and his wife, Meghan, burst into tears after Dressel hit the wall to finish.

In a post-race interview, Dressel, 24, held back tears.

"It's a really tough year, it's really hard. So, to have the results show up, I mean — it really came together, so I'm happy," he said. When his family appeared in a video chat, he got even more emotional.

"Love you guys, thank you," he told them.

Dressel now has four Olympic gold medals. Earlier this week, he earned one as part of the 4x100 freestyle relay team. He won two golds in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, both in group events.

In an interview earlier this year with TODAY's Craig Melvin, he explained that he started swimming in grade school and the sport "chose" him.

He added that he loves swimming because of its simplicity.

"I think simple is good. That's why I enjoy swimming. It's very primitive," he explained. "Let me see if I can go faster than you. It's no judging, no scores, just time and let me get my hand on the wall faster than you."

The Florida native added that he finds "greatness within mundanity."

"I call it putting pennies in the bank," he explained. "I think that's where greatness is found."

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