Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak will have a shot at competing for a third Olympic medal when she races in the women’s 100-metre freestyle semifinal Wednesday night at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
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RIO DE JANEIRO-Canadian teenager Penny Oleksiak and Simone Manuel of the United States dead-heated for the 100 meters Olympic swimming freestyle gold on Thursday when both women touched the wall in 52.70 seconds.
On a day in which Michael Phelps won his 22nd gold medal and Simone Biles cemented her legacy as the best gymnast ever by winning the all-around gold by a record margin, it was another American, Simone Manuel, who broke down the most significant barrier.
Bronte Campbell finished 0.34 behind for fourth and Cate 0.54 behind in sixth.
The 20-year-old Manuel would normally be considered an up-and-coming youth but standing alongside Oleksiak she suddenly seems experienced.
She also set a Canadian and world junior record en route to qualifying for the women’s 100-metre freestyle finals.
She also took the opportunity to recognize the historical significance of what she had just achieved.
“The gold medal wasn’t just for me but for people before me who inspired me to stay in this sport and for people who believed that they can’t do it”, she said. She even mentioned “some of the issues with police brutality”.
And while Manuel’s individual medal is a historic moment, she had already earned a silver medal as part of Team USA’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay team. “I hope we can inspire kids to pick up where we left off”.
Manuel singled out Jones, Neal and Correia for blazing a path. “I want to win just like everybody else”.
She looked forward to a time when there is greater diversity in the pool. “I do hope that kind of goes away”. “All my hard work has paid off and I am really happy about it”, – Manuel was thrilled with her win.
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“It comes with the territory, because there aren’t many of us in the sport of swimming, and we definitely talk a lot about that with Simone”, Sharron Manuel said. “I tried to take the weight of the black community off my shoulders; it’s something I carry with me being in this position”.
