When Simone Manuel was young, she asked her mother why there weren’t more black swimmers. Years later, she would go on to become one of the most visible titans of the sport.
In the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Manuel became the first black woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event.
Breaking barriers is nothing new for the 20-year-old from Sugar Land, TX. At just 17, she broke a national record for her age group. She also set records in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle competitions.
But it was her performance in Rio that ensured her place in the history books.
Tying with Canadian teen Penny Oleksiak for the gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle, Manual set a new Olympic record of 52.70 seconds.
As she accepted her gold medal, tears streamed down Manuel’s face. An athlete in a sport tied to a legacy of racial tension, Manuel knew her win was also a win for black swimmers and sports fans everywhere.
“Hopefully it will get them inspired,” Manuel said. “The gold medal wasn’t just for me. It was for people who came before me and inspired me to stay in this sport, and for people who believe that they can’t do it. I hope that I’m an inspiration to others to get out there and try swimming. They might be pretty good at it.”
Swimming has a fraught racial history in America. Public pools were often segregated or barred black swimmers outright. This contributed to the pervasive stereotype that Blacks were unable to swim. Manuel said she hopes her Rio win helps change this hurtful legacy.
“I’m super-glad with the fact that I can be an inspiration to others and hopefully diversify the sport,” she said. “But at the same time I would like there to be a day where there are more of us and it’s not, ‘Simone, the black swimmer.’ ”
You can follow Manuel’s exploits outside of the pool on Twitter.
