Olympians Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky make a splash at Westmont swim meet
Much has changed for the two faces of American swimming since the Tokyo Games.
Stanford grad Katie Ledecky moved her training base to the University of Florida. The distance queen and proud Floridian sprinter Caeleb Dressel now share the same coach, Anthony Nesty.
Dressel, by the way, has a new mustache and a leg tattoo sleeve to add to his ink.
Two superstars. Seven Olympic gold medals each. Still chasing history.
Some things never change.
Ledecky and Dressel lead a star-studded field at the Pro Swim Series meet hosted by the FMC Natatorium in Westmont through Saturday in preparation for World Championships trials next month.
Swimming fans also will see Alaskan sensation Lydia Jacoby, whose gold-medal upset in the 100-meter breaststroke and watch-party celebration in her hometown, population 2,700, were moments of pure joy.
Jacoby dethroned Lilly King, who might be looking for some redemption in the pool leading up to the 2024 Summer Games.
"The road to the Paris Olympics is going right through DuPage County and Westmont, so that's super exciting," said Beth Marchetti, executive director of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The FMC Natatorium opened to much fanfare in 2020, filling a void in the region's swimming scene. The 71,000-square-foot aquatic center boasts 1,200 spectator seats, more than any other indoor pool in Illinois, according to the architecture firm that designed it to host major competitions.
"It's a really state-of-the-art swim facility, so that's why so many people are kind of eyeballing this," Marchetti said.
The Westmont facility and tourism officials had to act quickly when USA Swimming organizers made some scheduling changes to the Pro Swim Series, partly because of COVID-19.
In a matter of just 20 days, "we were able to get that event solidified, booked, and they're here swimming," Marchetti said of the Olympic athletes. "So kudos to FMC and our sports commission and even the village of Westmont because we were all working in tandem together."
Tourism officials already had made relationships with USA Swimming through the DuPage Sports Commission as part of an effort launched in 2019 to lure sporting events to the area. Marchetti also sees sports tourism as key to the economic recovery from the pandemic.
"We need that infusion of visitors back so that everybody's getting some tax revenues and some economic impact in their communities," she said.
Dressel is expected to swim in the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly finals Friday night and the 50-meter freestyle final Saturday night. In her usual dominant fashion, Ledecky won the 400-meter freestyle final Thursday with a time of 4:01.30.
For a full schedule and results, visit fmcnatatorium.org. Tickets are $10 for daily admission.
If you go
What: TYR Pro Swim Series
Where: FMC Natatorium, 275 Plaza Drive, Westmont
When: Through Saturday
Tickets: $10 at <a href="https://www.fmcnatatorium.org/buy/Tyr-Pro-tickets">fmcnatatorium.org/buy/Tyr-Pro-tickets</a>.
Info: <a href="https://www.usaswimming.org/event/2022/03/02/default-calendar/tyr-pro-swim-series-westmont">usaswimming.org</a>.