Simone Manuel’s historic Olympic win is inspiring young swimmers in the African-American community in Houston. The Canadian became the first swimmer born in the 21st century to win a gold medal in any Olympic sport.
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“I hope that I’m an inspiration to others to get out there and try swimming”, she tells The Washington Post. Manuel represents one of the few bright chapters in America’s sordid history with race and swimming pools – and it is one that likely will not soon be forgotten. But there is a particular, fraught history that follows black Americans and swimming, which Manuel may have been alluding to in her comments. African-American people were often denied access to pools in the segregation era, and even after its abolition white people found other ways to exclude them.
At the Fort Bend YMCA in Missouri City, where Manuel used to practice, kids were also excited about the Olympian’s big win.
Parents who do not swim are often unlikely to teach their children, and the legacy today is that a disproportionate number of African-American children can not swim – USA Swimming puts the figure at 70%.
“It means a lot, especially with what is going on in the world today, some of the issues of police brutality”, Manuel said. The field consisted not just of the 16-year-old Oleksiak, who entered the event with three medals already to her credit, but with more formidable opponents all around. “But I do hope that it kind of goes away”. No, she recovered from a poor start in the 100-meter freestyle, blazed at the turn and won gold.
Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky), incoming freshman, who broke her own world record in the women’s 800 free by almost two seconds to win her fourth gold medal of the Rio Games on Friday and earlier earned a silver medal in the 400 free relay along with Manuel: “AHHH!”
“It’s been a long journey for me”, she said after the race. “This medal is not just for me”.
After the race, an emotional Manuel greeted Stanford teammate Lia Neal.
Her win came as a surprise to many – including, it seems, herself. She helped the U.S. women’s team to second in the 4x100m freestyle race.
“You have to work hard and be pretty smart to get into a school like this – but honestly, that’s another reason why I picked it, because I wanted to be in this atmosphere and challenge myself”, she told USA Swimming this year.
“That helped keep the nerves off me”, Manuel said. Through Friday morning, all of Canadians who have won medals (gold, two silvers, five bronzes) have been women. Without role models like Manuel, there may be an impression among would-be swimmers that “this isn’t for me”.
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Swimming lessons still are not compulsory in the United States, something USA Swimming wants to change.
