#Rio2016: Swimmer Simone Manuel Becomes 1st Black Olympics Gold Medalist

#Rio2016: Swimmer Simone Manuel Becomes 1st Black Olympics Gold Medalist

Simone Manuel entered her name in the history book, when she became first black woman in Olympic history to earn an individual swimming gold medal and the first African-American woman to win an individual medal.

 

The groundbreaking win, in which Manuel shared the podium with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak after a tie, would be worth celebrating in the context of any sport. But the particular racist history of American swimming pools — and resulting lack of opportunity for black swimmers for decades — makes it an even more poignant victory.

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