Caeleb Dressel's body language at the Pan Pacs in Tokyo gave Australia hope the world champion may have been human after all.
But the Dolphins may have to reassess that view after the United States swimming superstar revealed his horror build-up to the year's major meet.
The 21-year-old admitted he almost didn't contest the US Pan Pacs trials after being involved in a motorcycle crash.
Dressel announced his arrival last year when he equalled Michael Phelps' record of seven gold at the 2017 world titles.
However, the Dolphins were buzzing after a downcast Dressel fizzled at the four-day Pan Pacs that concluded on Sunday, claiming a solitary gold in the 100m butterfly.
"They see now that there is a chink in the armour. Dressel was walking around the world titles last year so full of confidence. It was unbelievable," Dolphins assistant coach Dean Boxall said.
"Here he looks a bit slumped. The body language has gone down a bit. So (the Australians) see that everyone is human."
But swimming's tattooed rock star put his underwhelming Pan Pacs display in perspective when he revealed what happened weeks earlier.
He said he crashed his motorcycle on a median strip in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida, in late June.
Dressel tried to play down the incident but US officials said it came close to costing him a chance to contest the trials.
The Pan Pacs doubled as the United States' 2019 world titles qualifiers.
"I had a gentleman pull out in front of me so I had to avoid him ... nothing major (regarding injuries)," Dressel told NBC Sports.
"I think the accident was as lucky as I could have gotten with it. It maybe, maybe didn't interfere with my training."
Asked if he would be back on a motorcycle soon, Dressel said: "A lot of people have put a temporary hold on me. Probably a permanent one."
Dressel also collected Pan Pacs silver in the 50m and 100m freestyle, the latter won by Australian Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers.
Dressel's underwhelming performance didn't stop the US claiming Pan Pacs overall honours with 18 gold. Nearest rival Australia finished with eight wins.
