“I want to be an inspiration, but I would like there to be a day when it is not ‘Simone the Black swimmer, ‘” said Manuel.
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That’s why, when Manuel won gold Thursday night, she wasn’t just an athlete excelling at her sport.
Manuel said the medal was not just for her, but for those who have come before her and inspired her.
Simone Manuel made history Thursday night, becoming the first African-American woman to win an individual swimming event – the 100-meter freestyle – at the Olympics.
“I said, ‘That’s a good question”.
From the pool to podium Louisville African-American swimmers like Zorry Mason, who swims for DuPont Manual High School and Cardinal Aquatics, are in awe of their new inspiration. “So I could swim in the Olympics here in the future”, said Naomi Johnson, a member of the Montgomery YMCA Barracudas Swim Team.
Oleksiak is the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal of any colour in the 100-metre freestyle, which has been in the Summer Games since 1912. The swimmers delivered: In addition to the races we’ve already mentioned, Connor Jaeger set a new American record in the men’s 1500m freestyle and won a silver medal.
“Our expectations going in was just for Simone to go in and enjoy the experience and do the best she can to represent herself and represent her country, and I think she did that”.
And now, McClendon, on her Facebook page – in post after post – is overjoyed at Manuel’s success. She was right back in the pool on Friday, qualifying 11th in the 50-meter freestyle preliminaries.
At the same time, Manuel knows that by winning Olympic gold in a sport that still has few people of color, especially in the United States, she carries what she described as “the weight of the black community”.
“I opened the door to the room, and she got up and gave me a hug and said, ‘I wasn’t going to fall asleep until I gave you a hug, ‘ and that really meant a lot to me”, said Manuel, who gave the USA a gold medal in the event for the first time since 1984.
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After an emotional medal ceremony, Manuel expressed her hope for that future. And as of 2010, around 70 percent of African-Americans said they couldn’t swim, compared with some 40 percent of white folks. “After the race, I gave her a big hug and I cried and I told her, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.’ She’s a huge part of my successes”.
