The 20-year-old swimmer took home the gold in Rio after tying for first place with 16-year-old Canadian Penny Oleksiak in the 100-meter freestyle.
Advertisement
America elected a black president seven years before it had a female African-American gold medalist in an individual swimming event. It’s for a whole bunch of people that came before me and have been an inspiration to me.
Manuel said she hoped her first gold would bring change.
When Manuel was asked whether it felt unusual or weird to share an individual gold medal, she said, “I wouldn’t say it’s weird. It is for some of the African-Americans who have come before me”, she added, referencing former Olympians Maritza Correia and Cullen Jones.
Simone Manuel wasn’t expected to win the gold. “I hope I’m an inspiration for others to get out there and try swimming”. When she became the first black gymnastics world champion in 2013, Carlotta Ferlito, an Italian gymnast, told a journalist that she had joked with a friend that they should “also paint our skin black, so then we could win, too”.
Oleksiak has now collected four medals from Rio – the most by a Canadian at a summer Games – winning a 4×100 freestyle bronze on the opening day of the competition, followed by a 100 butterfly silver and another bronze in the 4×200 freestyle.
Dave Ling, a former assistant coach at Toronto Swim Club who worked with Oleksiak, told the BBC that she only recently began swimming the 100 fly at a very serious level within the a year ago and a half.
The teen sensation’s older brother is Jamie Oleksiak, a professional NHL hockey player for the Dallas Stars, while her sister, Hayley, rows for Northeastern University.
“We got on the internet and did some searches and we came up with some information”, Sharron Manuel said.
“I’ve always said that I didn’t need a gold medal to have self-worth and I guess that that’s being put to the test at the moment”, said Cate.
After winning the gold, Manuel and USA gymnast Simone Biles – gold medalist and All-Around competition champion in Rio – celebrated their victories, as well as their mutual first name.
After the race, an emotional Manuel greeted Stanford teammate Lia Neal.
“It means a lot, especially with what’s going on in the world today, just with some of the issues with police brutality”, Manuel said. In the lead-up to the event she forced herself to briefly distance herself from the significance of being a rare black swimmer representing the U.S, in order to focus on chasing victory.
The title “black swimmer” makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal or break records.
If it happens, Ledecky will become the first swimmer to win the 200, 400 and 800 free races in the same Olympics in 48 years. My goal was just to get more experience, swim as fast as I can.
Advertisement
“Coming into the race I tried to take weight of the black community off my shoulders”, said Manuel. After her win, she mentioned police brutality in the USA and said she hoped her victory helps mend the nation’s racial divide in some way.
