Simone Manuel

Simone Ashley Manuel is an American professional swimmer who specializes in freestyle events. She achieved major international recognition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she won gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter medley relay, alongside silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In tying Canada's Penny Oleksiak for gold in the 100-meter freestyle, Manuel set an Olympic and American record while becoming the first Black American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming.

Born on August 2, 1996, Manuel gained early international experience at the 2012 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships at age 16, earning gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter freestyle relay, 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and 4×100-meter medley relay. She went on to compete at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, winning gold in the preliminary heat of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and represented the United States at the 2013 Duel in the Pool and the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.

Manuel attended Stanford University from 2014 to 2018, competing for the Stanford Cardinal. During her freshman year, she set American and NCAA records in the 100-yard freestyle and broke school records in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle. Over her collegiate career, she became a six-time individual NCAA Division I champion, winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018. In 2015, she became one of the first three African-American women to place in the top three of the 100-yard freestyle at any Division I NCAA Championship, and she helped Stanford win back-to-back NCAA team titles in 2017 and 2018.

Following her Olympic success in 2016, Manuel earned six medals at the 2017 World Championships, including individual gold in the 100-meter freestyle and bronze in the 50-meter freestyle, where she set an American record as the first American woman to break the 24-second mark. She also anchored world-record-setting relay teams. Manuel turned professional in July 2018, signing a sponsorship with TYR Sport, Inc. that included a first-of-its-kind inclusion rider to ensure meaningful opportunities for underrepresented groups. She later partnered with Toyota as a sponsor.

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, Manuel became the first American female swimmer to win both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events at a single long course World Championships. She collected seven total medals at the meet, setting a record for the most medals won by a female swimmer at a single long course World Aquatics Championships. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo—held in 2021—she served as a team captain and won a bronze medal as the anchor of the American 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.

Manuel has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the 2017–2018 Honda Sports Award and Honda Cup, and USA Swimming's Female Athlete of the Year at the 2019 Golden Goggle Awards. Forbes named her to its 30 Under 30 in sports list in 2022. Beyond competition, she works as an ambassador for the USA Swimming Foundation's Make A Splash program and partnered with LeBron James' Promise School and the Akron YMCA in 2019 to establish a summer swim program for students.