On Thursday night in Rio, Simone Manuel became the first African American woman to ever win an individual swimming medal at the Olympics. It happened to be a gold. In the 100-meter freestyle, Manuel actually tied for first place with 16-year-old Canadian Penny Oleksiak, clocking in at 52:70, a new Olympic record.
The significance of the moment was not lost on her, particularly considering the racial tensions back home.
“It means a lot, especially with what is going on in the world today, some of the issues of police brutality,” Manuel said after the race, as reported by USA Today. “This win hopefully brings hope and change to some of the issues that are going on. My color just comes with the territory.”
“I just want to be an inspiration to others that you can do it,” Manuel said through tears.