American Caeleb Dressel ties Michael Phelps’ world championship record with seven gold medals

Reporting from BUDAPEST, Hungary —  Michael Phelps, you’ve got company.

Caeleb Dressel won his seventh gold medal of the world championships Sunday, putting the U.S. team ahead to stay with another dominating swim in the 4x100-meter medley relay.

One night after becoming the first swimmer to win three golds in one night at a major international meet, Dressel joined Phelps in another elite club with seven golds at the second-biggest meet after the Olympics.

Phelps had seven victories at the 2007 worlds in Melbourne, Australia — a prelude to his unprecedented eight golds the following year at the Beijing Olympics.

Dressel matched the feat along the banks of the Danube, emerging as America’s next great swimming star.

The 20-year-old University of Florida student won three individual golds and was part of four winning relay teams.

It was a big night all around for the Americans.

epa06117660 Lilly King of the USA is on her way to win the women’s 50m Breaststroke final in a New World Record time during the 17th FINA Swimming World Championships in the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary, 30 July 2017. EPA/TIBOR ILLYES HUNGARY OUT ** Usable by LA, CT and MoD ONLY **

(Tibor Illyes / EPA)

Lilly King set her second individual world record of the meet in the 50 breaststroke, again besting Russian rival Yulia Efimova, then returned as part of the women’s 4x100 medley relay that also broke the world record.

Chase Kalisz completed a sweep of the individual medleys to carry on the tradition of American dominance, even after Phelps’ retirement and Ryan Lochte not being allowed to compete in Budapest because of his shenanigans at the Rio Olympics.

Kalisz romped to victory in the 400 IM on the heels of his victory in the 200 IM.

The U.S. finished with 18 golds and 38 medals overall — a huge improvement over the previous worlds two years ago in Kazan, where the Americans managed just eight golds and 23 medals.

The home crowd had no complaints, either.

Katinka Hosszu, the “Iron Lady,” finished off her third straight 200-400 IM sweep at the championships to go along with a pair of golds from Brazil last summer.

“Ria! Ria! Hungaria!” the packed house at Duna Arena chanted, as Hosszu celebrated on deck wrapped in her country’s red, white and green flag.

UPDATES:

11:37 a.m.: This post has been updated with Caeleb Dressel winning a record seventh gold medal.

This post originally published at 10 a.m.