Simone Manuel, Wins Olympic Qualification for 50m Freestyle

Manuel Overcomes Overtraining Syndrome, Wins Olympic Qualification for 50m Freestyle

First Black Swimmer to Win Individual Event in Rio in 2016… Diagnosed with Overtraining Syndrome in 2021

Simone Manuel (27, USA), who gained attention as the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual swimming event but was diagnosed with 'overtraining syndrome' and could not even 'jog', is opening the first page of her 'new swimming life' in Paris, France.

On the 24th (Korean time), Manuel touched the touchpad in the women's 50m freestyle final of the 2024 Paris Olympics USA Swimming Team Trials held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, winning with a time of 24.13 seconds, beating Gretchen Walsh (24.15 seconds) by 0.02 seconds.

At the same time, she earned a ticket to the Paris Olympics in this event. 메이저사이트

Manuel, who had secured her spot in Paris as a member of the women's 4x100m relay by finishing fourth in the women's 100m freestyle U.S. team trials, also grabbed an individual event Olympic ticket on the last day of the trials.

After checking the ranking, Manuel clenched her fists in surprise.

After coming out of the water, he shook his head and expressed his emotions.

“I can’t believe I won first place.

I haven’t won first place in a national competition for a long time,” Manuel said in an interview with the Associated Press.

“I will remember this moment.”

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Manuel won the women's 100m freestyle champion and was called the "greatest black female swimmer."

At the Rio Olympics, Manuel won two gold medals (100m freestyle, women's 4x100m medley relay) and two silver medals (50m freestyle, women's 4x100m relay).

After that, she won five gold medals at the 2017 Budapest World Championships and four gold medals at the 2019 Gwangju World Championships, opening the "Manuel Era."

However, Manuel soon fell into a deep swamp.

After finishing 9th in the 100m freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics US team trials held in 2021, Manuel confessed that he was "diagnosed with overtraining syndrome."

Although he took first place in the 50m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics team trials and advanced to the Olympic main stage, he failed to advance to the finals after finishing 11th in the semifinals.

After the Tokyo Olympics, the doctor recommended 'indefinite rest' for Manuel.

In an interview with Yahoo Sports in the US, Manuel confessed, "I suffered from muscle pain, insomnia, and mental fatigue, so I couldn't do any training anyway.

It was impossible to even lift slightly heavy objects or do light jogging."

The 'malicious comments' written by some fans saying, "Manuel is lazy.

Overtraining syndrome is an excuse" made it even harder for him.

After a long tunnel of suffering, Manuel returned to the pool at the end of 2022 and began full-scale swimming training in 2023.

While competing, Manuel also overcame loneliness. 파워볼사이트

He said, “I thought I was a really lonely person, but when I heard the cheering for me at the stadium, I realized that I was ‘not lonely anymore.’”

He added, “The voices of my colleagues congratulating me on my return and the voices of my fans calling my name healed my heart during the US national team trials.”

By winning a ticket to Paris, Manuel also opened ‘the first page of a new life.’

Simone Manual said, “When I look back on how far I have come and how many mountains I have overcome, I am more proud of myself,” and “I will represent the US again in an international competition.

Another life of mine is unfolding.”

Upon his return, his American colleagues congratulated him with deep hugs, and the fans clapped their hands vigorously.