Athletes to Watch: Simone Manuel

In Rio, Manuel became the first black woman to win an individual swimming gold, and added three more medals at those Games. She followed up her Rio performance with five golds at the 2017 World Championships, though just one came in an individual event (the 100m freestyle, where she is the reigning Olympic champion).

Manuel completed her collegiate swimming career at the 2018 NCAA Championships, where she helped Stanford win its second straight title. Nicknamed “Swimone” (or sometimes, “Chef Swimone”), Manuel comes from an athletic family – both of her older brothers and her father played college basketball. Simone took ballet classes for 10 years as a child, and thinks it has been helpful with her balance, flexibility and core strength.

When she signed with suit sponsor TYR in 2018, she added an unprecedented inclusion rider to her contract that requires cast and crew involved in the production process to meet a given level of diversity. Manuel is known for her boisterous personality and tends to break into song with regularity, usually Beyonce or Mariah Carey.

Visit Simone's Team USA profile