Simone Manuel

Simone Manuel
Courtesy of REX/Shutterstock

Details

Also Known As:
"Swimone"
Date of Birth:
August 2, 1996
Height:
5' 11"
Hometown:
Houston

Bio:
Simone Manuel (born Simone Ashley Manuel, in Houston, TX on August 2, 1996) is an American competition swimming and Olympic gold and silver medalist. She is a two-time individual NCAA champion for the Stanford Cardinals. Simone became one of the first three African-Americans to place in the top three spots at the 100 yard freestyle in any Women’s Division I NCAA Swimming Championship in 2015.

Best Known For:
Simone Manuel is best known for becoming the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event for the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She set an Olympic record in the 100 meter freestyle with a time of 52.70. She is also known for her signature event, the freestyle.

Personal Life:
Simone Manuel is the youngest of three, and has two brothers. She started swimming at the age of 4 when her mother put her in swim lessons after watching her brothers. Although she was born in Houston, she is originally from Sugar Land, TX, where she swam at her local swim club. she currently attends Stanford University and is on the swim team.