Simone Ashley Manuel (born August 2, 1996) is an American competition swimmer specializing in sprint freestyle. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won two gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley, and two silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. By winning the 100-meter freestyle, tied with Penny Oleksiak of Canada, Manuel became the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic gold in swimming and set an Olympic and American record. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won a bronze medal as the anchor of the American 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.
Manuel holds three world records as a member of relay teams and is a six-time individual NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships champion. She was one of the first three African American women to place in the top three spots in the 100-yard freestyle event at a Division I NCAA Swimming Championship. From 2014 to 2018, she attended Stanford University, swimming for the Stanford Cardinal and contributing to Stanford’s NCAA team championships in women's swimming and diving in 2017 and 2018. She turned professional in July 2018.
United States
