On Aug. 11 in Rio, Manuel finished the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 52:70. “I mean, this medal is not just for me”. “She’s one of my role models, and I don’t think there’s anyone I’d rather share the podium with”.
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So, there is understandably a lot of attention paid to African American swimmers in the spotlight, and it’s something that the 20-year-old Manuel, who is competing in her first Olympics, has had to deal with throughout her career.
Her look of shock upon seeing her name as the victor, and then her tearful reaction during the national anthem, made her an immediate favorite among viewers and fans. “I’ll just pray normally to myself, but it’s there just in case”. “It was for people that came before me and inspired me to stay in the sport”, Manuel said after the victory. “And it’s for all the people after me, who believe they can’t do it”.
But Aly has developed her own fanbase for doing what is often the unthinkable in gymnastics: being even better at her second Olympics.
“My color kind of comes with the territory”, she said.
Manuel, meanwhile, also became the first American to win gold in the women’s 100 freestyle since 1984, when Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer shared first place. But Oleksiak was almost a half-second faster than Manuel on the final length, and TV replays showed that their fingers found the wall at the same time.
This is the second medal Manuel has won in Rio; she won silver as part of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.
Seriously, check out her reaction and just let the emotions take over.
Manuel grew up in Texas, but made a decision to go west for college. She not only set a new Olympic record, made Team USA history – but she did both while making her Olympic debut in Rio this month. She said she picked the university for its values. “So they automatically put the idea in their heads that “since I don’t know how to swim, you’re not going to know how to swim because I don’t feel comfortable with you being in the water”.
And she’s in good company.
When NBC had the opportunity to televise Manuel and the 16-year-old Oleksiak receiving their gold medals, however, it stuck with gymnastic and swimming coverage.
American athletes were in the mood to make history yesterday at the Olympics. But her path to get here has been a long one.
Ultimately, Kennedy says Manuel’s emergence will save lives and that’s the most important thing. It is for some of the African-Americans who have come before me.
The pursuit of an Olympic medal can be singular and isolating, and the steps it takes to swim two lengths of the pool as fast as possible are filled with details.
As the youngest sibling and the only girl, Manuel has spent her lifetime sharpening her competitive streak. “They look at her and go, ‘Oh yeah, this is something I would really like to do, ‘” Cronin-Schlote told CBC News.
“We were always encouraged to try what we wanted to do”.
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For Biles, the question of whether she follows their lead is very much an if not when.
