The 20-year-old from Sugarland, Texas, won the gold in the 100m freestyle event, tying with the Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak in a photo-finish end to the race.
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There was disappointment for Australia’s Campbell sisters with world champion Bronte finishing fourth and world record holder Cate, leading in world record time at the turn but fading at the finish to sixth.
Rio de Janeiro, Aug. Aug 12 (IANS) US swimmer Simone Manuel on Friday said she hopes her Olympic gold medal will inspire African-American children to take up the sport.
Simone Manuel, 20, has made history for the US, setting a new Olympic record in the 100-m freestyle and becoming the first black woman to win an individual swimming gold.
Manuel, 20, who comes from Houston and attends Stanford University, is one of two African-American women who qualified for the USA swim team-the other being Lia Neal who won a 4×100 freestyle relay bronze in Rio.
The clinic’s organizer, Jeffield Jefferson of the city of Houston, now hopes her win will inspire other African-American athletes.
She took swimming seriously after watching Michael Phelps win his historic eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She mentioned “some of the issues with police brutality”.
“It means a lot (to be the first black woman to earn gold in the pool)”, Manuel said after the race.
Under the Olympics’ scoring rules, when two athletes tie, they each get a medal – meaning that while this race has two gold medalists, no one gets a silver. I’m just so blessed to have a gold medal, I’m just so blessed.
Oleksiak was overjoyed as she saw the final score.
Manuel picked up a silver medal earlier this week with her teammates in the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay.
“Now, I want to challenge myself and push myself a little more than what I used to, because now I could think I can do the same thing that she did”, Ronald Hickey says.
“The title of black swimmer suggests that I am not supposed to win golds or break records, but that’s not true because I train hard and want to win just like everyone else”. “She’s just ready to swim.'” Manuel went on to swim with the First Colony Swim Team in Sugar Land and now swims for Stanford University.
Manuel’s victory took on added significance in a sport that still has few people of color, especially in light of the racial divide in the United States.
Manuel’s remarks reminded me of Misty Copeland’s.
It wasn’t just the other swimmers who put pressure on Manuel to perform.
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“It’s been a long journey for me”, she said after the race.
