{"id":587164,"date":"2024-06-13T15:35:41","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T22:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=587164"},"modified":"2024-06-13T15:35:41","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T22:35:41","slug":"simone-manuel-set-for-final-test-of-her-comeback-at-united-states-olympic-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/simone-manuel-set-for-final-test-of-her-comeback-at-united-states-olympic-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Simone Manuel Set For Final Test of Her Comeback at United States Olympic Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simone Manuel Set For Final Test of Her Comeback at Olympic Trials<\/strong><\/p>\n

Five-time Olympic medalist (two gold, two silver, one bronze) Simone Manuel revealed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021 that she was battling overtraining syndrome, which had taken a huge toll on her physically and mentally. After staying away from elite-level competition for nearly 19 months since the end of the Tokyo Olympics, she has continued to make steady progress and will compete in her fourth Trials, vying for her third Olympic team.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Halfway through the last Olympic Trials in 2021, Simone Manuel<\/strong> fought back tears as she spoke to reporters inside the CHI Health Center, sitting a short distance away from the pool where she had just placed ninth in the 100 freestyle semifinals. She was the defending Olympic gold medalist in the 100 free and two-time reigning world champion in the event, but she was more than two seconds off her own American record (52.04), as her Tokyo hopes in the event were dashed.<\/p>\n

That Thursday evening, Manuel revealed that she had been diagnosed with overtraining syndrome and had missed significant training time as she prioritized rest and recovery. She knew that whether or not she made the Olympic team, she would not return to full health until taking a multi-month break from swimming altogether. But Manuel promised to keep battling, to continue to give maximum effort as long as she still had a chance.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Manuel took the next day off from racing before returning to race the 50 free. And in the final women\u2019s race of the Trials, Manuel got the job done, closing strong to take the win by one hundredth of a second and clinch her Olympic spot. Immediately, longtime rival Abbey Weitzeil<\/strong>, who finished second by the narrowest of margins, joyfully dashed across the lane line to embrace Manuel. Manuel ended up going to Tokyo and placing 11th in the 50 free, and after her addition to the U.S. women\u2019s 400 free relay, she also earned a bronze medal.<\/p>\n

After that, though, Manuel had to prioritize herself. Most importantly, she had to take time to reclaim her physical health.<\/p>\n

From the beginning, she maintained the notion that she would one day return to swimming, but doing so would require a comprehensive re-evaluation and re-examination. As the first African American woman to capture individual Olympic gold and a trailblazer for representation in the sport, Manuel had inspired so many, but also felt the weight of her status in the sport. A new balance would be essential before Manuel could try to return to sprinting prominence.<\/p>\n

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THE JOURNEY BACK<\/h2>\n

The journey back to swimming began in January 2022, when Manuel\u2019s doctor cleared her to begin venturing back into the pool. Following Tokyo, they had agreed that her hiatus must stretch at least until the following calendar year to fully escape the effects of overtraining syndrome, and at her follow-up appointment, doctors saw enough in Manuel\u2019s physical recovery and emotional well-being to give her the go-ahead.<\/p>\n

Not long after, Manuel made the decision to move to Tempe, Ariz., and restart her career under the guidance of Bob Bowman<\/strong> and sprint coach Herbie Behm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a list of several coaches who I wanted to reach out to, just based off their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, what they have accomplished in the sport, what I felt like I needed in a coach, and if they could get me there both in and out of the pool,\u201d Manuel said. \u201cThat ultimately is what led me to (Bowman). I talked to several coaches. I basically did recruiting, but I was the one recruiting. I got opinions from a couple other people on where they thought could be a good fit for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Simone Manuel — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n

Still living in California, Manuel began swimming on her own at a local fitness center. Manuel and Bowman agreed that her build-up would be gradual to avoid a recurrence of the overtraining syndrome. Bowman wrote workouts for Manuel, but she would only swim Monday, Wednesday and Friday while lifting Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday \u201cto give my body as much of a chance to recover as possible by only having it work out once a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once arriving at Arizona State, Manuel started with only single workouts before adding one double, then two doubles and finally three. \u201cWe kind of wanted to feel like we mastered the workload I was given at that given time before we ramped up and added an extra practice,\u201d Manuel said, but even then, adding an additional workout into her schedule made her anxious.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Manuel found that her initial training times did not match what she had achieved during her finest years. Of course, getting back to American-record-setting and world-title-winning times is no easy feat, but the process severely tested Manuel\u2019s patience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could do a similar set that I had done in the past, but the results were not even going to be anywhere near that. I think it was really hard for me not to compare myself to what I had done or what I had performed well in at practice or even in competition, but to focus on where I am now,\u201d Manuel said. \u201cThat\u2019s just a really hard mental tug-of-war when you know you\u2019re capable of better, but in the moment, your body is not capable of better.\u201d<\/p>\n

But day after day, week after week, Manuel pushed through the challenging practices. In June 2023, 10 months after moving to Arizona, she opted not to contend for a spot on the World Championships team, choosing instead to race later in the summer as she prioritized extra training time with the goal of the Paris Olympics crystalized in her mind. By late July, Manuel\u2019s times were still far from her best\u2014even behind the marks she recorded in her compromised state in 2021\u2014but over the next few months, glimpses of the once-dominant Manuel began to shine through.<\/p>\n

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REPRESENTATION FOR BLACK SWIMMERS<\/h2>\n

In 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, when Manuel became the first American to win Olympic gold in the 100 free in 32 years (Nancy Hogshead<\/strong> and Carrie Steinseifer<\/strong> tied for first in 1984), she became an icon in a sport where African American standouts are so few. Just over one year earlier, Manuel had been a part of the first NCAA swimming final where Black swimmers filled out the entire podium, with Manuel and Stanford teammate Lia Neal<\/strong> going 1-2 and Florida\u2019s Natalie Hinds<\/strong> placing third. Now, with this win on the biggest stage, Manuel provided representation for Black swimmers around the country and around the world. That representation helped young swimmers believe that competing at the sport\u2019s highest levels was a realistic goal.<\/p>\n

Providing representation matters to Manuel, but her standing in the sport also created something of a burden. The pressure was internal, but Manuel still felt it, as if her results in swimming meant so much to such a big community that she could not let them down. However, in recent years, the 27-year-old believes she has matured in her self-talk, focusing on swimming and achieving for more personal reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have felt at times that I wasn\u2019t swimming all the time for myself. I do understand that what I do and the accomplishments that I\u2019ve had in the sport have had an impact on a lot of people, but specifically the Black community. I think it\u2019s really unfair for me to feel like I always have to carry that weight,\u201d Manuel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think taking some time away from the sport and understanding my emotions and taking a break really allowed me to reframe how I wanted to approach swimming. I really wanted to approach it for me. It\u2019s not for anybody else. It\u2019s not to please anybody else\u2019s expectations or even doubts in me. Of course, I want to inspire my community, but I don\u2019t need to feel like it\u2019s the end-all, be-all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaching that point, Manuel said, took time, with deep conversations with close friends and family plus extensive sessions with her sports psychologist focusing on \u201cthe trauma the sport has brought me.\u201d Now, Manuel feels the position is one of balance, understanding that she has brought joy to so many around the world, but using those perceptions only as a lift and not a weight, and remaining genuine to herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get uplifted like that, you want to make them proud, but it is a lot of pressure,\u201d Manuel said. \u201cThe people who love me and the people who care for me and the cheerleaders that I don\u2019t really know personally and don\u2019t know me personally, they\u2019ll be proud of me regardless, because I went out there and I was me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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FOURTH U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS<\/h2>\n

Now, Manuel is in the final weeks before she competes in her fourth Olympic Trials, and her hopes of qualifying for a third Olympic team have become more realistic with each passing meet. In the 50 free, she has progressed from 24.82 in January to 24.49 in March, and then a mark of 24.34 at the final stop of the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio in April. Same story in the 100 free, where Manuel got down to 53.25 in San Antonio, and she has also clocked 1:57s in the 200 free on multiple occasions this season.<\/p>\n

Simply, those times are good. Elite. Faster than Manuel has ever recorded at a non-taper meet, even quicker than she went early in those world-title-winning seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m faster at this point in the season than I ever have been, which is hopefully a good sign for taper,\u201d she said. \u201c It\u2019s surprising, but also, it\u2019s not. I really put in a lot of work last year. I just unfortunately didn\u2019t see the results. For me and Bob, I needed to be patient, and the results \u2014 at some point \u2014 would hopefully show up. And they did! So when I saw them, it was something I was really excited about, but it wasn\u2019t something that I was shocked about because I had to put in a year-plus of hard work, hoping to see it come to fruition.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Simone Manuel — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n

Her buildup to Trials became a bit more complex when Bowman departed Arizona State to become the men\u2019s head coach at the University of Texas while Behm was promoted to head coach of the Sun Devils. Manuel opted to balance blocks of sprint-focused work under Behm in Tempe with an altitude training camp under Bowman\u2019s watch for more endurance-oriented work.<\/p>\n

At Trials, Manuel will race the 200 free, 100 free and 50 free\u2014in that order\u2014and she will face the strongest field of sprinters the United States has assembled since 2013, Manuel\u2019s first year on the senior-level national team and the last time an American women\u2019s 400 free relay defeated a full-strength Australian squad. The group of sprinters includes veterans such as Weitzeil and Olivia Smoliga <\/strong>\u2014 swimmers who were teenagers on the 2021 Olympic team\u00a0 \u2014 and Torri Huske<\/strong>, Kate Douglass<\/strong> and the emergent Gretchen Walsh<\/strong>, who broke Manuel\u2019s American record in the 100 yard free at the NCAA Championships in March.<\/p>\n

With six swimmers likely to make the team in both the 100 and 200 free for relay purposes, Manuel will have plenty of chances to earn a ticket to Paris if she can make only marginal improvements from her in-season times, but she sees the situation differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t limit my goals,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to make the team in as many events as I possibly can, which would be the 200, 100 and 50. Nobody thought I was going to make the team in the 50 free in 2021, and I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

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PERSISTENCE AND DEDICATION<\/h2>\n

Even with a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 including five Olympic medals and 16 podium finishes at the World Championships, Manuel considers this most recent chapter in her career the accomplishment of which she is most proud. The persistence and dedication required to return to the top level of sprinting has been mentally exhausting, but also validating.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were times when I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t know why I\u2019m doing this. I\u2019m swimming in the B-final. I can\u2019t remember the last time I\u2019ve been in the B-final. I\u2019m not dropping any time. What am I doing?\u2019\u201d Manuel said. \u201cI think that continuing to stay the course and believe in myself is something I\u2019m really proud of because just through this experience, you really see who a person is when they go through hardship. You really can see someone\u2019s character, and I feel like I\u2019ve learned so much about myself and what I\u2019m capable of through this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manuel is careful to remember that she will not let her own self-worth depend on qualification for Paris, but the achievement of going to a third Olympics would be quite sweet. Her thoughts turned to her husband, Denzel Franklin<\/strong>, and the sacrifice he made by leaving behind his job in California to accompany Manuel to Arizona.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want it to just ride on that because I feel like at the end of the day, I\u2019m really proud,\u201d Manuel said. \u201cI think it will feel really nice to make the third Olympic team and really feel like everything that I went through and all the choices and the sacrifices that I made were worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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More Olympic Trials Coverage<\/h2>\n