Caeleb Dressel became emotional after failing to add a second gold medal to his collection in Paris.
The American super swimmer burst into tears after finishing fifth in the semi-finals of the 100-meter butterfly.
As a result, he missed the final on Saturday, less than four years after winning gold in the event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
It was a difficult day for the 27-year-old, who finished a disappointing sixth in the men’s 50m freestyle final.
He quickly fell behind the winner, Australian Cameron McEvoy, who crossed the finish line in a time of 21.25 seconds.
Caeleb Dressel burst into tears after finishing fifth in the semifinals of the 100-meter butterfly
He missed the final after winning gold in the event at the 2020 Tokyo Games
Viewers criticized NBC for broadcasting Dressel’s visible distress after the poor result.
“How about you show some respect to athletes like Caeleb Dressel and not capitalize on his disappointment. Don’t keep the camera on him for minutes,” someone on X fumed.
Another viewer chimed in: “If they could take the camera off of Caeleb Dressel as he’s falling apart over here, that would be awesome. That was horrible to watch.”
A third complimented the coach who led him to a private area, away from the cameras.
“Thank you so much to the coach for giving Caeleb Dressel some privacy. Disappointment is hard. I hope he knows how much the US is still SO proud of him,” the fan wrote.
Dressel helped Team USA defend their title by winning gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay earlier this week.
