Simone Manuel: American Olympic Swimmer

Simone Manuel: American Olympic Swimmer

Macro Creator — Swimming & Sports

Professional Swimmer

Los Angeles

The first Black woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal, Simone Manuel has built one of the most decorated careers in the sport, with 7 Olympic medals and 13 World Championship golds spanning over a decade.

About Simone Manuel: American Olympic Swimmer

Simone Manuel was born August 2, 1996, in Sugar Land, Texas, and swam collegiately for Stanford University before turning professional. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she made history as the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal, tying for gold in the 100m freestyle and adding a second gold in the 4x100m medley relay along with two silver medals. She has been one of the most consistently decorated swimmers of her generation at the World Aquatics Championships, winning 13 career gold medals across individual and relay events between 2013 and 2025, including a sweep of the 50m and 100m freestyle titles plus three relay golds at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju. She added an Olympic bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2020 Tokyo Games and two silver medals in relay events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and continued competing into 2025, winning two more World Championship relay golds in Singapore.

Date of Birth1996-08-02
ProfessionProfessional Swimmer
NationalityAmerican
Zodiac SignLeo
Genderfemale
LanguagesEnglish

Career Journey

2016
Historic Rio Olympic gold

Manuel became the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal, tying for gold in the 100m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and added a second gold in the 4x100m medley relay.

2017–2019
World Championship dominance

Manuel won multiple gold medals at the 2017 Budapest and 2019 Gwangju World Championships, including sweeping the 50m and 100m freestyle titles in 2019.

2020
Tokyo Olympic medal

Manuel won bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

2024–2025
Continued excellence at Paris and beyond

Manuel won two silver medals in relay events at the 2024 Paris Olympics and continued competing into 2025, adding two more World Championship relay golds in Singapore.

Top Categories

Lifestyle

Achievements & Milestones

2016
First Black woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal
13
Career World Championship gold medals
7
Total career Olympic medals across three Games
2013–2025
Years spanning her World Championship medal career

Media & Features

USA Swimming Team USA World Aquatics

FAQs

Who is Simone Manuel?

Simone Manuel (born August 2, 1996) is an American swimmer who became the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal, at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 100m freestyle.

How many Olympic medals has Simone Manuel won?

She has won 7 career Olympic medals across the 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris Games, including 2 gold medals.

Is Simone Manuel still competing?

Yes, she continued competing into 2025, winning two relay gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Latest News

Manuel continued competing into 2025, winning two relay gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore and remaining one of the most decorated active swimmers in the sport.