Simone Manuel pens emotional message for achieving major milestone after six years and qualifying for World Championships

Simone Manuel recently became emotional about making it to the World Aquatics Championships [Long Course]. The 28-year-old Olympic champion also broke the 53-second barrier after six years to register one of her best performances in the 100-meter freestyle event.

Manuel placed third in the 100m freestyle finals, with a time of 52.83 seconds. She shared glimpses of her recent outing at the US National Swimming Championships on her Instagram profile. She also expressed her thoughts on making it to the World Championships, which will be held in Singapore from July 11 to August 3.

Manuel wrote in her Instagram post:

"All glory to God! Took 6 years to get back under 53. Still living by the daily motto of ‘progress over perfection’, finding joy and grace in this journey, and striving for continued growth and improvement. Super blessed and grateful to have qualified for my 5th LC World Championship Team! 🇺🇸 Heading to Singapore! 🇸🇬P.S. Hook ‘em! 🤘🏾"

Simone Manuel is aiming to end her long-standing medal drought at the World Championships. She has won 11 gold, three silver, and two bronze medals at the World Championships. Manuel won a staggering seven medals at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, with four gold and three silver medals to her credit.

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When Simone Manuel penned a heartfelt note after qualifying for her third straight Olympics in 2024

Simone Manuel after the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Simone Manuel had registered a strong comeback previously by making it to her third consecutive Olympics in 2024. The former Olympic champion had penned an emotional note on making it to the quadrennial event held in Paris.

Manuel wrote in her Instagram post:

“WOW!!! To God be the glory! I could truly say so much, and at the same time, not enough to completely express what I'm feeling and the journey to qualify for my 3rd OLYMPIC TEAM! I've been asked the question of "retirement" many times after my heartbreaking journey to get to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Honestly, It's oftentimes been a very frustrating topic for me. Quitting was never an option! The flame was still burning!”

Simone Manuel referred to her performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where she won only one bronze medal in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay event. However, at the Paris Olympics, her performance significantly improved, and she won two silver medals as part of the women's relay team for the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x200m freestyle relay event, respectively.