Silmeon Manuel, along with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, clinched the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 100m freestyle at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Manuel and Oleksiak touched the wall simultaneously at 52.70 seconds, leading Manuel to be the first African American woman to secure an Olympic gold in an individual swimming event. However, at the 2021 US trials on Thursday evening, Manuel surprised spectators with her performance in the semi-finals, finishing at 54.17 seconds, and failing to advance to the next stage.
Manuel, a 24-year-old from Sugar Land, Texas, missed the cut by a mere two-hundredths of a second. Erika Brown claimed the eighth spot in the finals with a time of 54.15 seconds. Natalie Hinds and Olivia Smoliga posted the best semi-final times at 53.55 seconds. Missing out on the 100m freestyle finals also means Manuel won’t be considered for a spot on the relay team.
Adding to her triumph in Rio’s 100m freestyle, Manuel secured another gold in the 4x100m medley relay and two silver medals. She continued her success with eight more victories at the 2017 and 2019 world championships.
Manuel still has the chance to qualify for the US team in the 50m freestyle, where she clinched a silver medal in Rio.
