Simone Manuel

Simone Ashley Manuel (born August 2, 1996) is an American competition swimmer specializing in sprint freestyle. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won two gold and two silver medals: gold in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley, and silver in the 50-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In winning the 100-meter freestyle, a tie with Penny Oleksiak of Canada, Manuel became the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic gold in swimming and set an Olympic record and an American record.

Simone Manuel
Manuel at the 2015 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia
Personal information
Full nameSimone Ashley Manuel
National teamUnited States
Born (1996-08-02) August 2, 1996
Sugar Land, Texas
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight148 lb (67 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
College teamStanford University

Manuel also holds three world records as a member of a relay team, and she is a six-time individual NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships champion, becoming 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. From 2014 to 2018, she attended Stanford University, where she swam for the Stanford Cardinal and helped Stanford win the NCAA team championship in women's swimming and diving in 2017 and 2018. She turned pro in July 2018.

Swimming Career

Manuel swam at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, placing 20th in the 50-meter freestyle and 17th in the 100-meter freestyle events.[1][2][3]

After entering Stanford in 2014, she became a member of the Stanford Cardinal women's swimming team.[4] She broke the school records in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle in the same year,[5] and in 2014, her freshman year, she also broke the American and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) records for 100-yard freestyle.[6] Manuel is a six-time individual NCAA champion: winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle in 2015, 2017, and 2018.[1][7][8] She redshirted in 2016.

She competed at the 2013 US National Championships, where she finished third in the 100-meter freestyle and second in the 50-meter freestyle events. She qualified for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, and she won a gold medal in the preliminary for the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. She also competed in the 2013 Duel in the Pool, where she won first in the 100-meter freestyle, third in the 50-meter freestyle, second in the 400-meter freestyle relay, and first in the 200-meter mixed medley relay.[1]

Lochte, Adrian, Manuel, and Franklin (center, left to right) together hold the mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay world record.

At the 2014 US National Championships, she finished first in the 50-meter freestyle, second in the 100-meter freestyle, and seventh in the 200-meter freestyle. She competed in that year's Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, where she won bronze in the 100-meter freestyle, silver in the 4x100-meter freestyle and 4x100 medley relays, and placed fourth in the 50-meter freestyle.[1]

In 2015, Manuel won her first two individual NCAA championships, winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle,[1] setting an NCAA, American, U.S. Open, Championship, and Pool record in 100-yard freestyle with a time of 46.09.[9] She also placed second in the 200-yard freestyle event.[1] 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.[9] She competed in the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, placing fourth in the 4x100 medley relay, sixth in the 100-meter freestyle, and eighth in the 50-meter freestyle.[1]

As a senior, she won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best female swimmer as well as the Honda Cup for the best overall female collegiate athlete.[10][11][12]

2016 Summer Olympics
See also: Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics
2016 Olympics
100 m freestyle 52.70 (AR)
4×100 m medley 3:53.13
4×100 m freestyle relay 3:31.89 (AR)
50 m freestyle 24.09

Manuel swam in the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, placing second in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle and seventh in the 200-meter freestyle. Her position in the 50- and 100-meter events qualified her to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[1]

She won a silver medal as part of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay along with Abbey Weitzeil, Dana Vollmer, and Katie Ledecky. She tied with Penny Oleksiak of Canada for the gold medal in the 100 m freestyle, both setting an Olympic record of 52.70.[13] Manuel is the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event[13][14] and is also said to be the first black woman to achieve this.[15][16][17][18] She later won silver in the 50-meter freestyle event and gold in the 4x100-meter medley relay.[19][20]

2017 World Championships
2017 World Championships
100 m freestyle52.27 (AR)
4×100 m freestyle 3:31.72 (AR)
4×100 m medley 3:51.55 (WR)
4×100 m mixed medley 3:38.56 (WR)
4×100 m mixed freestyle 3:19.60 (WR)
50 m freestyle23.97 (AR)

At the 2017 US Nationals, the qualification meet for the World Championships in Budapest, Manuel won the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 24.27 and touched second in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 53.05.

On the first day of the World Championships, Manuel anchored the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay to a gold medal alongside Mallory Comerford, Kelsi Worrell, and Ledecky. She split a very fast 52.14 to anchor the team to a new American record time of 3:31.72.[21] Manuel picked up her second gold of the meet when she anchored the mixed 4x100-meter medley relay with a split of 52.17. Together with Matt Grevers, Lilly King, and Caeleb Dressel, the team broke the world record in a time of 3:38.56.[22] Manuel's first individual event of the meet was the 100-meter freestyle, where Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjöström was widely considered the favorite to win since she had broken the world record while leading off the 4x100-meter freestyle relay on the first night of the World Championships. In similar fashion to the previous summer at the Olympics, Manuel upset the favorite by coming from behind to win the 100-meter freestyle with an American record time of 52.27, out touching Sjöström by just four-hundredths of a second.[23] The day after, she won her fourth gold medal in the mixed 4x100-meter freestyle relay, where she split 52.18 on the anchoring leg. Alongside Comerford, Dressel, and Nathan Adrian, they set a world record of 3:19.60.[24] On the last night of the meet, Manuel swam the finals of both the 50-meter freestyle and the women's 4x100-meter medley relay. Touching in a bronze-winning time of 23.97, she set the American record and became the first American woman to break the 24-second barrier in the 50-meter freestyle.[25] Manuel then anchored the women's 4x100-meter medley relay to a winning time of 3:51.55. The team of Kathleen Baker, King, Worrell, and Manuel broke the 2012 world record of 3:52.05 set by Missy Franklin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, and Allison Schmitt.[26][27]

Professional career

Manuel turned pro in July 2018, forgoing her final season with Stanford.[28] On July 24, 2018, she signed with TYR Sport, Inc., joining former Stanford teammates Katie Ledecky and Lia Neal.[29]

Personal bests
As of August 1, 2017
Long course (50 m pool)
Event Time City Date Notes Ref
50 m freestyle 23.97 Budapest, Hungary July 30, 2017 NR, AM [25]
100 m freestyle 52.04 Gwangju, South Korea July 26, 2019 NR, AM [13][30]
50 yd freestyle (SC) 21.17 March 16, 2017
100 yd freestyle (SC) 45.56 March 18, 2017 NR, AM
NR – National Record
AM – Americas Record

World records
Distance Event Time Location Date Ref
4 x 50 m Mixed medley relay[a] 1:37.17 Glasgow, Scotland December 21, 2013 [31]
4 × 100 m Mixed freestyle relay[b] 3:23.05 Kazan, Russia August 8, 2015 [32]
4 × 100 m Women's medley relay (sc)[c] 3:45.20 Indianapolis, Indiana December 11, 2015 [33]
4 × 100 m Mixed medley relay[d] 3:38.56 Budapest, Hungary July 27, 2017 [34]
4 × 100 m Mixed freestyle relay[e] 3:19.60 Budapest, Hungary July 29, 2017 [35]
4 × 100 m Women's medley relay[f] 3:51.55 Budapest, Hungary July 30, 2017 [36]
a with Eugene Godsoe, Kevin Cordes, and Claire Donahue
b with Ryan Lochte, Nathan Adrian, and Missy Franklin
c short course record with Courtney Bartholomew, Katie Meili, and Kelsi Worrell
d with Matt Grevers, Lilly King, and Caeleb Dressel
e with Caeleb Dressel, Nathan Adrian, and Mallory Comerford
f with Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, and Kelsi Worrell

References
  1. "Simone Manuel". USA Swimming. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  2. "2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (swimming) – Women's 50 metre freestyle (heats)" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  3. "2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (swimming) – Women's 100 metre freestyle (heats)" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  4. Berkay, Melissa (July 24, 2016). "4 Reasons to Be A Fan of First-Time Olympian Simone Manuel". Swimming World. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  5. Shinn, Peggy (June 16, 2016). "Meet Simone Manuel, The Swimmer Missy Franklin Calls Fearless". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  6. "Simone Manuel". SwimSwam. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  7. "Simone Manuel". gostanford.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  8. "Back to Back". gostanford.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  9. Nelson, Christopher (March 23, 2015). "Three College Swimmers Make History At NCAA Championship". NBC. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  10. White, Jack. "Olympian and Stanford swimmer Simone Manuel wins Honda Award as top female collegiate athlete". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  11. "Simone Manuel Named 2018 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year". Honda Corporate Social Responsibility. June 27, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  12. "Stanford Swimming Star Simone Manuel Wins Honda Cup; Named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year". CWSA. June 25, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  13. Rogers, Katie (August 12, 2016). "A Closer Look at Simone Manuel, Olympic Medalist, History Maker". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  14. Almasy, Steve. "Rio day 6: Simone Manuel makes history, Phelps gets 22nd gold". CNN. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  15. "Rio Olympics 2016: Simone Manuel and Penny Oleksiak take joint gold". BBC. August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  16. Diaz, Evelyn (August 11, 2016). "Team USA Swimmer Simone Manuel Scores Historic Gold Medal at Olympics". BET. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  17. Donnella, Leah (August 12, 2016). "Simone Manuel Wins Olympic Gold. That's A Really Big Deal". NPR. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  18. Anderson, Jared (August 12, 2016). "Simone Manuel Becomes First Black Woman To Win Olympic Swimming Gold". SwimSwam.com. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  19. "Simone Manuel". NBC Olympics. NBC. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  20. "Rio 2016 Olympic Games – Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle". NBC. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  21. "Comerford Downs 100 Free American Record as USA Downs 400 FR Relay American Record". SwimSwam. July 23, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  22. "Who's winning? Who knows? Welcome to mixed medley relay – sports – Lenovo". July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  23. "Simone Manuel uses another dramatic finish to stun record-holder at swimming worlds". For The Win. July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  24. "Swimming: Treble-gold Dressel helps US break mixed 4x100m freestyle record". The Straits Times. July 30, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  25. "Manuel Breaks American Record with 23.97 for 50 Free Bronze". SwimSwam. July 30, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  26. "U.S. set world record to win women's 4x100 metres medley relay". Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  27. "Watch USA Women Eclipse WR in 4x100 Medley Relay (Race Video)". SwimSwam. July 30, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  28. Shinn, Peggy (June 5, 2019). "Simone Manuel Is Making A Splash – With Spreading A Message Of Diversity And Teaching Kids To Swim". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  29. Rieder, David (July 24, 2018). "Simone Manuel Announces Deal with TYR Sport". Swimming World. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  30. "Women's 100m freestyle results summary". Omega Timing. July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  31. "Duel in the Pool: Team USA Uses World Record in Tiebreaker Mixed Relay to Win 132–131". Swimming World. December 21, 2013. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  32. "16th FINA World Championships". Omega Watches. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  33. "Watch Team USA Set Women's 400 Medley Relay World Record (ALL DUEL RACE VIDEOS!)". Swimming World. December 11, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  34. "Who's Winning? Who Knows? Welcome To Mixed Medley Relay". Associated Press. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  35. "Swimming: Treble-gold Dressel helps US break mixed 4x100m freestyle record". The Strait Times. July 30, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  36. "Watch USA Eclipse WR in 4x100m Medley Relay (Race Video)". SwimSwam. July 30, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
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