Simone Manuel and Penny Oleksiak create history with shared Olympic gold

The 20-year-old Manuel, in her first-ever Olympic games, tied with Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak in the 100-meter freestyle event. In 2000, Anthony Ervin became the first African-American to medal in Olympic swimming, winning gold in the 50-meter freestyle and silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle in Sydney.

“I think it means a lot, especially what’s going on in the world today with some of the issues with police brutality”. “To be here medalling and getting gold is an incredible feeling”.

Canadian Hilary Caldwell touched with the second fastest time in 2:07.17. “The 100m backstroke is actually the one that comes more naturally to me so that’s the one I was really gunning for”.

Both Oleksiak and Manuel reached for the wall.

And Manuel hopes she can just be a swimmer and a champion without her race being a factor.

“I’m super glad that I can be an inspiration to others and hopefully diversify the sport”, Manuel explained. Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström raced to third for the bronze medal in a time of 52.99. It seems incredible that it has taken until 2016 for us to see a black woman win a gold medal in the pool.

“My sister was bawling her eyes out”.

Feldman, a managing partner with American Group Management LLC in Los Angeles, said he’d advise Oleksiak not to turn pro this year.

I once again congratulate Penny and wish the rest of Team Canada all the best as competition continues in Rio until August 21. “We want to do something that’s significant”.

American Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to medal in an individual swimming event Thursday night, and then immediately gave “glory to God” during an emotional interview.

But for Manuel, it was important to enter the race without the focus of her being a great “black swimmer” as opposed to just a stellar athlete. She also served on USA Swimming’s diversity and inclusion committee, which, she told CNN, helped her overcome some of the loneliness she felt at being one of the few minorities in the sport.

Relay bronze medallist Brittany MacLean of Toronto finished her 800-metre freestyle heat in 8:26.43, falling less than a second shy of reaching the final.

Victor Davis and Anne Ottenbrite (1984), Elaine Tanner (1968), runners Phil Edwards and Alex Wilson (1932) each won three medals for Canada at a Summer Games. “A lot of kids are going to start wanting to swim and for sure there’s going to be a lot more people signing up”. (The New York Times breaks it down into slow-motion.) She scored 15.933, the highest markings of the night at any rotation, The New York Times reported. The fact it was gold made it even more of a reason to party.

Dominique Bouchard of North Bay, Ont., was ninth in the women’s backstroke and did not get another swim.