American swimmer Caeleb Dressel won his third gold medal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s 100m butterfly event on Saturday. With this win, he also created a world record in the event by clocking 49.45 seconds. he broke the mark of 49.50 that he had earlier set at the 2019 world championships in Gwangju.

In another event, Katie Ledecky won gold in the 800-meter freestyle. This was her second gold of the Tokyo games.

Dressel led right from the start and held off Hungary’s Kristof Milak, the winner of the 200 fly.

Milak took home the silver with a cracking 49.68. The bronze went to Switzerland’s Noe Ponti.

After he reached the wall, Dressel smiled after seeing the ‘WR” by his name. He then joined hands with Milak and raised their arms together. He then flexed his left arm and pumped it in the air.

Dressel won his third gold medal at the Summer games, including the first two individual victories of his Olympic career.

The Australian women also claimed another gold.

Star swimmer Kaylee McKeown completed a sweep of the backstroke events with a victory in the 200 butterfly. She won the event in 2 minutes, 4.68 seconds.

Canadian Kylie Masse with a timing of 2:05.42 took home the silver. Emily Seebohm of Australia claimed the bronze after touching the wall at 2:06.17.

Americans Rhyan White and Phoebe Bacon finished fourth and fifth.

The Australians have won six women’s swimming gold medals in Tokyo and seven golds overall.

Dressel’s victory came in the first of three races on his morning schedule.

He will also be competing in the semi-finals of the 50m freestyle and then compete in the 4×100 mixed medley relay. It is a new Olympic event that features two men and two women on each team.

He is expected to take part in two more finals on Sunday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Should Dressel sweep his events, he will become only the fourth swimmer and fifth athlete overall to claim six gold medals at a single Olympics.

Swimming icon Michael Phelps did it twice, capturing six golds at the 2004 Athens Games. After that, he set a record with eight gold medals in Beijing four years later.

Phelps broke the mark held by Mark Spitz, who won seven golds at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Also winning six golds were East German swimmer Kristin Otto in 1988 and gymnast Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus in 1992.