“Just coming into this race tonight, 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”, Manuel told reporters.
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“This medal is not just for me, it’s for the African-Americans who have come before me and been an inspiration”, Manuel said after the race. Mason said Manuel’s reaction after winning was one of the best she’s ever seen.
Manuel trains as hard as any world-class swimmer, yet spoke of the discomfort at the implied perception that acknowledging her groundbreaking achievement also singled her out. They said she was bitter on Thursday, when Simone Biles won the individual all-around, Aly Raisman won silver and Douglas – who was clapping – didn’t stand and cheer like her teammates Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian. “She’s got a lot of spunk, brought a lot of energy, likes to sing and dance”.
When Manuel came storming back to tie for gold in the 100-meter freestyle, it was a win for young black Americans everywhere.
Then, in 2009, a young Simone Manuel emailed her – her hero – and the two struck up a friendship. “I missed all of the proms, homecoming dances, going to football games when I was in high school”.
“Didn’t get much sleep last night”, she said. “I met her a year ago, and we became great friends. I wasn’t”, said Douglas, who also felt compelled to apologize for the flag issue. Including all of her WNBA achievements, Lisa Leslie excelled on the global stage with four Olympic gold medals and two world championships, only resulting in more popularity in the sport for minority female athletes.
The two semifinal heats were delayed because a bus carrying Brazilian swimmer Etiene Medeiros got lost leaving the Olympic Village.
Like Biles, Manuel will have a chance to add to her gold and the silver medal she won earlier in the week as part of the 4×100 relay team.
This year’s US swimming team is the first to include two black female athletes: Manuel and Lia Neal. The victory earned Team USA its 1,000 gold medal.
While the teams’ lineups won’t be released until an hour before start time, we haven’t heard a peep about Phelps possibly not racing. “Stereotypically, black people participate in basketball, volleyball, football, and track”.
Gatlin was asked about comments made by swimmer Lilly King, who said athletes who had previously been banned for doping should not be in the Olympics, including Gatlin and his USA sprint teammate Tyson Gay. “I hope I can be an inspiration to others”.
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The medals themselves are taxed, too, but they’re not as valuable as their shiny goodness may appear.
