Her time of 52.70 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle was an American and Olympic record.
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Manuel’s roommate in Rio, gold medal-Olympian Katie Ledecky, tweeted out her congratulations for Manuel shortly after the race.
She was understandably weepy in a post-race interview and on the medal stand.
Nevertheless, she was all smiles as she walked out of the Olympic Aquatics Stadium pool.
As the first African-American woman to win gold in an individual Olympic swimming event, Simone Manuel knew the colour of her skin would generate more interest than the colour of the medal she had just won. But a medal wasn’t out of the question yet, due to the incredible closing speed she’s shown.
“This medal is not just for me, it’s for a whole bunch of people who have come before me and have been an inspiration to me”, she said.
‘Simone spoke from her heart and that’s exactly how she feels, ‘ said the mom-of-three. “She understands that it’s a part of it”. “It means so much”, – Oleksiak, a gold medallist at the age of 16, said.
RIO DE JANEIRO-As an African-American swimmer, Simone Manuel has carried a weight on her shoulders every time she steps onto the starting blocks.
“My first gold medal, at my first Olympics, is kind of a surprise to me”, Manuel told reporters.
‘We got on the internet and we looked up information and pooled different articles and reading.
Manuel broke a national record for her age group the day she turned 17 and is a two-time N.C.A.A. swimming champion. She went to Stanford University where she honed her skills and is now is the first USA gold medalist in the event since 1984.
‘We had all sorts of emotion running through us, ‘ she added.
‘Just to see her get up on that block was just awesome for us. “This medal is not just for me”. “At that moment she really realized she was OK with who she was”.
The last time an American woman won gold in the event was 1984, when Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer also tied.
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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.
