“This medal is not just for me; it’s for a whole bunch of people who have come before me, and been an inspiration to me, and it’s for all the people after me who believe they can’t do it”.
Advertisement
Biles became the fourth straight American woman to capture the all-around and fifth overall.
Suddenly Biles was alone in the spotlight, the normally giggly teenager fighting back tears as she waved to the family that raised her, the coaches that molded her and the sport she is redefining. “I go into it knowing that I hope that she wins just because she wins every single competition”. It’s a long process to get there, she said.
Manuel victory was the first victory by the U.S.in the women’s 100 free since 1984, when Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer also shared gold. She’s favored to win the vault and the balance beam golds and, along with Raisman, a co-favorite in the floor exercise.
I once again congratulate Penny and wish the rest of Team Canada all the best as competition continues in Rio until August 21.
The girl adopted along with her younger sister by their grandparents as toddlers and discovered by coach Aimee Boorman’s mother during a field trip to the gym is a wonder, even if it always didn’t seem that way. But Jones failed to make the USA team this year in what could have been his final attempt. It was Raisman’s first Olympic all-around medal after she lost a tiebreaker for third in London four years ago. Maritza Correia won a silver on the same relay at the 2004 Athens Games. “I just said the other day for me Nadia Comaneci is our first Olympic champion and Simone is my last Olympic champion. I want to be an inspiration to them that they can do it”, she said.
Neal pumped Manuel up before the nighttime finals by singing and dancing together.
“That helped keep the nerves off me”, Manuel said.
No female gymnast has ever won five gold medals in one Olympics, so Biles could make history even before she leaves Rio.
Manuel, who attends Stanford and has a brother who played basketball at SMU, looks forward to a time when there is greater diversity in the pool.
“Every emotion just hit me at once”, Biles said.
And Manuel hopes she can just be a swimmer and a champion without her race being a factor.
Advertisement
“I wanted to see how far I could go in this sport”, she said. “Just coming into this race I kind of tried to take the weight of the black community off my shoulders, which is something I carry with me just being in this position”. “I just have to stay focused when I go into my event finals”.
