Simone Manuel
Simone Ashley Manuel is an American competition swimmer and Olympic Gold and Silver medalist. She currently shares the Olympic record in the 100 meter freestyle with Canada's Penny Oleksiak.
At the 2013 US National Championships, Manuel qualified for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona by placing 2nd in the 50-meter freestyle and 3rd in the 100-meter freestyle. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, Manuel earned a gold medal while swimming on the U.S. team in the preliminary heats of 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Swimming on the lead-off leg in the heats, Manuel recorded a time of 54.23.
In her only individual event, the 50-meter freestyle, Manuel finished 7th overall with a time of 24.80.
At the 2014 U.S. National Championships (the qualifying meet for both the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2015 World Aquatics Championships) Manuel finished 1st in the 50-meter freestyle (24.56), 2nd in the 100-meter freestyle (53.66), and 7th in the 200-meter freestyle (1:58.79).
At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, Manuel won two silver medals and a bronze. Her silvers came in the 4×100-meter freestyle and medley relay and in the 100-meter freestyle final, Manuel finished third with a time of 53.71. Manuel also competed in the 50-meter freestyle and finished 4th with a time of 24.70.
In 2015, Manuel became one of the first three African-Americans to place in the top three spots at the 100 yard freestyle in any Women’s Division I NCAA Swimming Championship; she was first, Lia Neal was second, and Natalie Hinds was third.