Simone Manuel Hopes To Add To Medals From Rio Games In Tokyo
Jun 22, 2021, 9:44 PM | Updated: Nov 29, 2022, 2:52 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Simone Manuel earned four medals at the 2016 Summer Games.
This year, she’ll get only one.
Manuel had failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics going into the last night of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials.
Days after revealing she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome, Manuel provided the most stirring moment of the entire event on its final night by winning the chaotic 50-meter freestyle.
It was all or nothing for Manuel, whose Olympic hopes came down to a frenzied dash from one end of the pool to the other.
She got there first, locking up a trip to Tokyo and the chance to make more history — five years after becoming the first Black woman to win an individual gold medal in swimming.
For more on Manuel’s training, watch the video above from NBC Sports.
