Manuel said she wanted her gold medal to serve as an impetus for “hope and change”, accepting she now has a role to play as an inspiration to other African-Americans. But one American newspaper is getting slammed for the way it reported the historic win. She, Lia Neal and Natalie Hinds finished 1-2-3 in the women’s 100-yard free final, marking the first time three African-American women swept the podium.
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“Then my husband saw Olympic record and saw she had gotten first”, Sharron told The Associated Press by phone Friday. “I want to go to the Olympics one day, ‘” Robinson said. The Olympian says she had plans already upon arrival to Houston: to get some Shipley’s donuts.
Phelps, 31, could win two more gold medals in Rio, a stunning turnaround for a man who was banned from competing at the 2015 world championships. African-American children drown at a rate almost three times higher than white children, according to USA Swimming, as an estimated 70% of African-American children can not swim.
She’s lighting an Olympic fire in the hearts and souls of members of the Mighty Krocs Swim Club.
Meanwhile, Simone Manuel hopes to inspire other black people.
Simone Manuel and 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak have set records in tying for Olympic gold in the women’s 100 metres freestyle in Rio.
Last summer, many watched, horrified as a police officer in McKinney, Texas, was caught on video roughly handling a black teenage girl and pointing a gun at her peers after local white residents claimed the group caused a “disturbance” at the private neighborhood pool.
“She gets it. She gets it”, said Kennedy.
I have friends whose parents, convinced that their children would drown, kept them as far away from swimming pools and rivers and lakes and oceans as humanly possible.
Manuel said that her victory was extra special in the context of ongoing race issues in the U.S.
Sharron said her daughter has understood for some time that this sport will give her a platform to share a message with the world, and she’ll always support Manuel speaking her mind in a thoughtful way.
Manuel briefly talked about the struggles African American’s have in the sport after her win saying, “The title “black swimmer” makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal or I’m not supposed to break records”. She edged around that pool like it was a pit of burning lava and eyed me like my body would burst into flames at any minute. “The way she swims is very much the way I tried to swim”.
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“I didn’t have an answer for it immediately, and I said, ‘That’s a good question”.
