Dressel qualifies with 2nd-fastest in 100 freestyle Today 02:16 am JST Today | 07:01 am JST TOKYO U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel opened his individual Olympic program as the second-fastest qualifier in the 100-meter freestyle. Thomas Ceccon of Italy led the way in 47.71 seconds on Tuesday night at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Dressel clocked 47.73 while swimming in the same heat. “I feel like I cleaned up a lot that I didn’t do on the relay, so I’m really happy with it,” Dressel said. Australia's Kyle Chalmers, the defending Olympic champion, was third-quickest in 47.77. Among the 16 men advancing to the semifinals was 16-year-old Romanian David Popovici and American Zach Apple.