When Simone Manuel touched the wall of the pool in the women’s 100-meter freestyle race Thursday at the Rio Olympics, she turned around, her eyes searching for the clock. The moment she registered her win is now a reaction for the history books.
Manuel, a 20-year-old swimmer from Sugar Land, Tex. became the first African-American woman to win an individual event in Olympic swimming.
She also set an Olympic record, along with Penny Oleksiak of Canada: They tied for the win, clocking in at 52.70 seconds. (Manuel also helped the American women’s team win silver in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.)
The swimming world has known about Manuel, a two-time N.C.A.A. swimming champion, for years, but her status as a newly minted gold medalist rocketed her to wider popularity overnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment