It just feels good to know that the hard work did pay off and I was able to fight through some of the times that I went through the last two years and get back to where I actually wanted to be. Phelps swam third in the 4×100-meter medley relay, a race the Americans would ultimately win with a new Olympic record. “She would like to be recognized for her merits and dedication”.
Advertisement
“I think it’s just that key that turns the switch on”, he says.
“We made a mistake”, he said.
(The fact that Cate was not named Austen is a major parenting fail, incidentally.) If Simone Manuel‘s family members were cheering her on, NBC didn’t show them. What better place than one of the most diverse areas in the country to get her start? She remains undefeated in major global individual events.
Black US gymnast Simone Biles, 19, also won her second gold on Thursday night at her first Olympic Games – and is expected to bag more.
“Coming into (Thursday’s) race, I tried to take the weight of the black community off my shoulders as it is something I carry with me being in this position”, Manuel said after her record-breaking swim. He is a major proponent of USA Swimming’s “Make a Splash” campaign that seeks to prevent drownings by teaching youngsters to swim with an emphasis on minorities.
His success had particular resonance during a dark period in Germany’s history, when the Nazis portrayed African Americans as inferior. But those numbers have been creeping up slightly in the past few years. Research conducted by Swimming USA, along with the University of Memphis, show that 70% of African Americans can not swim. The aforementioned USA Swimming report also found that, if a parent can’t swim, there’s just a 13-percent chance that the child will learn.
For young black swimmers, Manuel is now that person who looks like them – a hero in whose mold their aspirations can be modeled.
Stats from the CDC are even more alarming: Blacks under 30 years of age are 1.4 times more likely to drown than their white counterparts. But as fast as he could swim, Phelps couldn’t outstroke controversy with a second arrest for driving under the influence two years ago. And once segregation was banned, white people fled to private pools, leaving municipal facilities to languish.
At the Fort Bend YMCA in Missouri City, where Manuel used to practice, kids were also excited about the Olympian’s big win.
This year’s US swimming team is the first to include two black female athletes: Manuel and Lia Neal. My wife, who is half Caucasian and half Japanese, tries to make me feel guilty about not swimming.
Advertisement
“The gold medal wasn’t just for me, it was for people who have come before me and inspired me to stay in the sport, and for people who believe they can’t do it”, she said. I’m so proud of her and Maya (DiRado, the surprise gold medalist in the 200 backstroke Friday) and all my teammates.
