Simone Manuel leads African American swimmers in continuing the assault on stereotypes about African Americans and Swimming. She is continuing and expanding the exploits of others.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won two gold and two silver medals: gold in the 100-meter freestyle, her signature event, and the 4 x 100-meter medley, and silver in the 50-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In winning the 100-meter freestyle—the most prestigious event in swimming—in a tie with a Canadian, Manuel became the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic gold in swimming. In the process, she set an Olympic record and an American record.
Simone’s international exploits started long before the Rio Olympics. In 2013, she helped set a world’s record in the mixed medley relay in an international meet in Glasgow, Scotland. Later that year she became the first junior to break the 25-second barrier in the 50-meter freestyle, which she did at the World Championships.
In 2015, Simone Manuel became a two-time individual NCAA champion, winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, setting a NCAA, American, U.S. Open, Championship, and Pool record in the 100-yard freestyle. She became one of the first three African American women to place in the top three spots in the 100-yard freestyle event in any Division I NCAA Swimming Championship—Manuel and Lia Neal of Stanford University, 1st and 2nd, and University of Florida’s Natalie Hinds third. She was also part of two mixed relay races that broke world records.
Simone moved the bar even higher at the World Championships last week. She won five gold medals and a bronze. And most significantly, she repeated her feat in the Olympics, beating the world record holder to win the 100-m freestyle, in the process setting an American Record. She also won the bronze medal in the 50-m freestyle, once again setting an American record. Simone swam the 100-meter anchor leg in each of her four gold medal races: the 4 x 100 freestyle, the 4×100 medley, the 4 x 100 mixed medley, and the 4 x 100 mixed freestyle. She and her relay partners set an American record in the 4 x 100 freestyle and world records in the other three events.
Needless to say, Simone Manuel is not a novelty. She is a significant force in women’s swimming.