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Simone MANUEL
Sport Swimming
NOC United States   
GenderWomen
Born02 Aug 1996 in Sugar Land, TX, USA
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
 Alto Swim Club: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Why this sport?
 Her parents wanted her to be safe in the water. "I remember watching Michael Phelps at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing winning eight gold medals. I said to myself, 'I want to do that one day'. Maybe not the eight gold medals, but go to the Olympics."
When and where did you begin this sport?
 She had her first swimming lesson at age four at First Colony Swim Team in Missouri City, TX, United States of America, and swam across the pool on her second day of lessons. She began taking the sport more seriously at age nine.
Further Personal Information
Occupation
 Athlete
Languages
 English
General Interest
Famous relatives
 Her father Marc and her brother Ryan played basketball at collegiate level in the United States of America. Her cousin Gerard King played basketball for the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Wizards in the NBA. (gostanford.com, 24 Nov 2015; smumustangs.com, 01 Jan 2015)
International Debut
Year
 2013
Competing for
 United States
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
 "I know what I'm capable of. I want to win. I think that is what defines a racer. You have to have mental toughness, because everyone lined up against you is capable of winning and swimming fast. It's a mindset of being confident and knowing you can compete." (houstonchronicle.com, 16 Aug 2019)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
 Greg Meehan [national, personal], USA
General Interest
Awards and honours
 She was named among SwimSwam magazine's Top 20 Swimmers of the 2010s. (altoswimclub.com, 09 Jan 2020)

She was named Female Athlete of the Year by USA Swimming at the 2019 Golden Goggle Awards. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 24 Jul 2020)

While competing for Stanford University in the United States of America, in 2018 she received the Honda Cup award as the nation's Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year across all sports. In 2017 she was named the Pac-12 conference Swimmer of the Year, and in 2015 she was named the Pac-12 conference Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. (stanford.edu, 28 Jun 2018)

In November 2016 she received the Female Race of the Year award at USA Swimming's Golden Goggle Awards, in recognition of the gold medal she won in the 100m freestyle at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (fina.org, 22 Nov 2016)
Nicknames
 Swimone (teenvogue.com, 12 Aug 2016)
Ambitions
 To compete at the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games. (houstonchronicle.com, 16 Aug 2019)
Further Personal Information
Residence
 Palo Alto, CA, USA
General Interest
Injuries
 In March 2021 she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome, and took a three-week break from training. (apnews.com, 18 Jun 2021; onherturf.nbcsports.com, 20 Jun 2021)

Her training was disrupted ahead of the 2017/18 season due to tendinitis in her hip. (nataccion.com, 18 Mar 2018)

Six weeks before the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro she had balloon sinuplasty nasal surgery having suffered from chronic sinusitis and a complete blockage of her right nostril since 2015. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 24 Jul 2020)

She sustained a stress fracture in her ribs in 2015. (olympics.nbcsports.com, 24 Jul 2020)
Sport Specific Information
Training Regime
 She trains 20 hours a week, including nine swim practices and three weight training sessions.
Further Personal Information
Higher education
 African American Studies, Communications - Stanford University: United States
General Interest
Hero / Idol
 US tennis players Venus Williams and Serena Williams, US swimmers Maritza Correia and Tanica Jamison. (forbes.com, 08 Jun 2020)
Milestones
 She became the first female swimmer to win seven medals at a single world championships when she claimed four golds and three silvers at the 2019 edition of the tournament in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. (cbsnews.com, 23 Jul 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 17 Aug 2020)
Hobbies
 Cooking. (houstonchronicle.com, 23 Jan 2021)
Other information
 OTHER ACTIVITIES
In 2021 she and fellow US athletes Sue Bird, Chloe Kim and Alex Morgan launched TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company aimed at girls and women. "There has never been a place for women that exist like this. It's about damn time." During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was involved in an initiative that provided 1000 laptops and free WiFi to students in Oakland, CA, United States of America. She was named on Forbes magazine's '30 Under 30 Class of 2022' list, which highlights prominent young individuals in various industries. (togethxr.com, 2021; apnews.com, 05 Mar 2021, 21 Jul 2021; swimswam.com, 02 Dec 2021)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
11 2021 Tokyo, JPN 50m Freestyle 24.63
3 2021 Tokyo, JPN 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:32.81
1 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 100m Freestyle 52.70
2 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 50m Freestyle 24.09
1 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 4 x 100m Medley Relay  
2 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:31.89
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
1 2019 Gwangju, KOR 100m Freestyle 52.04
1 2019 Gwangju, KOR 50m Freestyle 24.05
2 2019 Gwangju, KOR 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay 7:41.87
2 2019 Gwangju, KOR 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:31.02
1 2019 Gwangju, KOR 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:50.40
1 2019 Gwangju, KOR 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:19.40
2 2019 Gwangju, KOR 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:39.10
1 2017 Budapest, HUN 100m Freestyle 52.27
3 2017 Budapest, HUN 50m Freestyle 23.97
1 2017 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:31.72
1 2017 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:38.56
1 2017 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:19.60
1 2017 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:51.55
6 2015 Kazan, RUS 100m Freestyle 53.93
8 2015 Kazan, RUS 50m Freestyle 24.57
4 2015 Kazan, RUS 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:56.76
1 2015 Kazan, RUS 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:23.05
3 2015 Kazan, RUS 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3:34.61
7 2013 Barcelona, ESP 50m Freestyle 24.80
1 2013 Barcelona, ESP 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay