-
Tips for becoming a good boxer - November 6, 2020
-
7 expert tips for making your hens night a memorable one - November 6, 2020
-
5 reasons to host your Christmas party on a cruise boat - November 6, 2020
-
What to do when you’re charged with a crime - November 6, 2020
-
Should you get one or multiple dogs? Here’s all you need to know - November 3, 2020
-
A Guide: How to Build Your Very Own Magic Mirror - February 14, 2019
-
Our Top Inspirational Baseball Stars - November 24, 2018
-
Five Tech Tools That Will Help You Turn Your Blog into a Business - November 24, 2018
-
How to Indulge on Vacation without Expanding Your Waist - November 9, 2018
-
5 Strategies for Businesses to Appeal to Today’s Increasingly Mobile-Crazed Customers - November 9, 2018
Black people can’t swim, you say?
Team USA swimmer and Olympic gold and silver medalist Simone Manuel returned to Houston after an impressive showing at the 2016 games in Rio. From there, her teammates poured it on, winning the gold medal with a time of 3 minutes, 53.13 seconds, almost two seconds ahead of second-place Australia.
Advertisement
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 network was showing Russian gymnastics while Manuel was receiving her gold medal.
Manuel said that the gold medal wasn’t just for her but for the people who inspired her to keep swimming.
Australia’s Cate Campbell was a strong favorite going into the race, but Manuel remained calm as her rival faded.
Until now, Cullen Jones had been the face of swimming for minorities in America, having won two golds and two silvers at the last two Olympics. I have no regrets, and I’m just very excited, but then again, I do have two gold medals now, but it doesn’t change who I am.
The 20-year-old from Sugar Land, Texas, had just become the first African American woman to win an individual gold medal in swimming.
It was even more significant than that, though: Manuel became the first female African-American swimmer to win gold in an individual event.
“With Simone Manuel winning, she’s going to inspire a generation, not only of black children and African-Americans, but young girls as well”, he said. She’s also swimming in the 50 free. “Because the title “black swimmer” makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal, I’m not supposed to break records”. “She didn’t have to say much after that, because her staying up said enough in itself”.
The headline was posted on the newspaper’s website, but quickly removed and replaced with one carrying Manuel’s name with Phelps’. “But I’m glad I did, because it is something that needs to be noticed, and it’s something that needs to be dealt with, and I just happened to be the person that chose to come out, so I’m super glad I did it”. “I want to be an inspiration, but I would like there to be a day when it is not ‘Simone the black swimmer'”.
“At the turn I kind of saw I was pretty far behind”, Oleksiak said. On swimming’s last night, the American men’s and women’s 4×100-meter medley relay teams hope to repeat their golden races of the London 2012 games.
Advertisement
Manuel and her parents have had many conversations about what her swimming can and will mean in terms of the African-American community at large.