She became the first African-American woman to win gold for the United States in an individual Olympic swimming event.
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Pernille Blume, of Denmark, took gold in the event and Belarus’ Aliaksandra Herasimenia nabbed the bronze.
Tonight, we also saw newly minted Olympic champion Simone Manuel – who made history this week as the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in swimming – grab a silver in the 50m freestyle before diving back in the pool later to anchor the women’s medley relay.
RIO DE JANEIRO – At age 11, Simone Manuel asked her mother the question all African-American competitive swimmers inevitably ask: Why aren’t there more swimmers that look like me? Both women, of course, put forth an heroic effort and a superb finish for their respective flags.
Biles is already the most successful woman in the history of the world championships with 10 gold medals in the last three years and with a possibility of total five at Olympics ’16 she is already on her way to sporting immortality. The glamour of the night’s victory was that she set a new record; by completing her swimming within just 52.70 seconds. Manuel trains as hard as any world-class swimmer, yet spoke of the discomfort at the implied perception that acknowledging her groundbreaking achievement also singled her out. The much-anticipated women’s 100-m race concluded in shocking fashion, with Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak and her American competitor Simone Manuel touching the wall at precisely the same moment. “I just wash it and condition it as best as I can”. My grandmother jokes that she never wants to be in more water than she can drink, and I pretty much agree. She didn’t sneak in at the end and get a bronze.
‘And it’s for all the people after me who believe you can’t do it, ‘ she added.
Kennedy said the Olympics are always a prime time to showcase swimming, but Manuel’s emergence could also have a big impact on swim infrastructure in local communities. Manuel’s merely standing on the blocks and jumping into the water was a challenge in and of itself to “America’s most racist institution”: the swimming pool.
Manuel didn’t just win any medal.
Here is a sobering fact: According to a 2010 study by the University of Memphis that was commissioned by USA Swimming, 68.9 percent of African-American children possessed “no or low swim ability”. She is now a symbol, a very important icon.
The decision was later overturned, but in many economically deprived urban neighborhoods, minority kids still don’t have the opportunity to splash around in a pool on a hot summer day. It’s 0.3 off my best but I’ve only swum that time once, and when I was in fantastic form.
Meanwhile, USA Swimming hosts diversity camps, has developed community partnerships with city departments in diverse areas and has a diversity coach mentorship program.
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“It means a lot, especially with what is going on in the world today, some of the issues of police brutality”, Manuel said of her win, via USA Today.
