What’s your favorite “Florida Man” headline?
Is it, “Florida man tosses gator into drive-thru”?
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How about, “Florida man says he punched ATM for giving too much cash”?
Or maybe, this week, its, “Florida man wins three gold medals (and counting) at Tokyo Olympics?”
In that case, the Florida Man in question is swimming superstar Caeleb Dressel. The world record holder in the 100m butterfly is a proud native of Green Cove Springs, a small town situated along the banks of the St. Johns River a few miles south of Jacksonville.
“I am a proud Florida man.” Dressel told NBC correspondent Mary Carillo on the riverfront. “This state is wild and crazy, but I love it.”
Swimming has taken Dressel around the world from Brazil to Hungary to South Korea to, most recently, Tokyo, Japan. Even still, Dressel – who swam collegiately just an hour away from home at the University of Florida – has no plans to leave his home state any time soon.
“I was born in Florida, I’m going to end up dying in Florida,” Dressel said. “This is where my roots are.”
Those roots got even deeper when he and longtime girlfriend Meghan Haila Dressel married in February. The pair have been together since their days at Clay High School in Green Cove Springs.
Meghan has been something of a breakout star of the Tokyo Games herself, passionately cheering on her Florida Man from afar in (where else?) Orlando, Florida.
SEE MORE: Reunited: Dressel moved to tears by family after gold win