'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The eagerly-awaited 2020 Olympic Games are finally about to start. The Games will be taking place in Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. Swimming is one of the most anticipated sports at the Olympics as it has the second-most number of medals on offer after athletics. The swimming events will begin on July 24th and conclude on August 1st. All events will take place at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The best swimmers from around the globe will battle it out in a record 37 events. One of the star swimmers to watch out for at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is the American Simone Manuel. We will get to know more about Manuel in this article.
Also Read | Tokyo Olympics Swimming Schedule 2021
Who is Simone Manuel?
Simone Manuel is an American swimmer who specializes in sprint freestyle events. The 24-year-old hails from Texas in the United States. She weighs 67 kg and has a height of 5 ft 10 in.
The acclaimed sprint swimmer first gave a glimpse of her abilities at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, where she bagged a gold medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
The Stanford University graduate is also a six-time champion at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships. She won both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
Simone Manuel is also popular for being the first African-American woman to clinch an individual Olympic gold in swimming.
Simone Manuel Olympic performances
Simone Manuel made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, where she went on to win four medals.
#1 Gold in women's 100m freestyle: Simone Manuel produced one of the most unexpected results of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The young sprinter tied with Canada's Penny Oleksiak for the gold in the women's 100 metre freestyle event. Australia's Bronte Campbell and Cate Campbell were the favorites in this event but Manuel produced the swim of her life as she not only won the gold but also set an Olympic record with a timing of 52.70 seconds.
#2 Gold in women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay: Simone Manuel and her United States teammates Kathleen Baker, Dana Vollmer and Lilly King clocked 3:53.13 to bag the gold medal ahead of Australia (3:55.00) and Denmark (3:55.01).
This gold medal was extremely special as it was the 1,000th Olympic gold for the United States - a tremendous feat for the nation. The USA is the only nation to have achieved this feat.
#3 Silver in women's 50 metre freestyle: Simone Manuel came close to winning the gold medal in the women's 50 metre freestyle event in Rio. She clocked 24.09 seconds and had to settle for the silver medal behind Denmark's Pernille Blume, who clocked 24.07 seconds. Manuel will be going for gold in the women's 50m freestyle race in Tokyo.
Also Read | 5 Black US athletes who can win gold medals at Tokyo Olympics 2020
#4 Silver in women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay: The American quartet of Simone Manuel, Abbey Weitzeil, Dana Vollmer and Katie Ledecky won the silver medal in the women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay event after clocking 3:31.89. They also set an American record in the event which was later broken at the 2019 World Championships in South Korea. Simone Manuel was again a part of the American team that set the record of 3:31.02.
The Australian quartet of Emma McKeon, Brittany Elmslie, Bronte Campbell and Cate Campbell won gold after clocking 3:30.65.
Simone Manuel Records
Simone has 11 gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals to her name at the coveted World Championships.
Manuel holds a world record in two events as part of a relay team. The mixed relay team of Simone Manuel, Mallory Comerford, Zach Apple and Caeleb Dressel set the world record in mixed 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay during the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. The quartet clocked 3:19.40 cumulatively to not only bag the gold but also set the world record in the event.
The American swimmer also boasts of a world record in women's 4 × 100 metres medley relay (in long course). The USA quartet of of Regan Smith, Lilly King, Kelsi Dahlia, and Simone Manuel clocked a world record timing of 3:50.40 in the Women's 4 × 100 metres medley relay event during the 2019 World Championships (long course).
Manuel also made the Olympic record of 52.70 seconds in Rio en route to her gold in the women's 100 metre freestyle event. However, she would not be able to defend her title in Tokyo as she has not qualified for this event.
Additionally, the 24-year-old holds the American record in women's 50m (long course) freestyle (23.97 seconds). This was set during the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The Texas swimmer also holds the national record in women's 100m (long course) freestyle (52.04 seconds). This was set during the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
Simone Manuel Net Worth:
Simone Manuel's net worth is $3 Million as per multiple reports.
