For the first time since 1996, Michael Phelps will not swim at the U.S. Olympic Trials that start Sunday. New stars emerged since his 2016 retirement — none bigger on the men’s side than Caeleb Dressel — while a few of his old teammates look for one more trip to the Games.
Start with Dressel. He swam in one individual event in Rio (finishing sixth), plus earned two relay golds, after his sophomore year at the University of Florida. Then in 2017, he won a Phelps record-tying seven gold medals at the world championships (two in mixed-gender relays that weren’t on the program in Phelps’ heyday).