What a comeback: Manuel makes Olympic team with win in 50 free
When Simone Manuel whipped around to see the “1” beside her name, months of emotions came pouring out.
She closed her eyes, brought her hands together in prayer and struggled to hold back the tears.
Abbey Weitzeil, the woman she had just beaten, leaped over the lane rope with a huge smile — so happy for her friend that she didn’t mind settling for the runner-up spot.
Everyone in the stands leaped to their feet, saluting Manuel’s perseverance with an ovation that rocked the arena.
Days after revealing she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome, Manuel — the first Black woman to capture an individual gold medal in swimming — provided the most stirring moment of the entire U.S. Olympic swimming trials by winning the chaotic 50-meter freestyle Sunday night in Omaha, Neb.
With one hectic dash from one end of the pool to the other, Manuel locked up a trip to Tokyo and the chance to make more history.
“More than anything, I’m relieved,” she said. “Today may have been the longest day of my life and the longest 50 of my life.”
Manuel’s hopes were seemingly dashed when she failed to even qualify for the final of the 100 free, the event she won five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.
After that disappointing performance, she opened up about the struggles she’s been going through. With her body just not feeling right, Manuel was diagnosed in March with the condition commonly known as burnout, forcing her to suspend her training for three weeks.
The layoff came at the worst possible time, and Manuel was clearly not at her best in her first event of the week.
As it turned out, opening up about her condition — and receiving so much support and encouragement — seemed to be the greatest salve.
“I definitely think sharing that information allowed me to swim more free,” Manuel said. “I have a lot of hard work in the bank.”
While Manuel is heading back to the Olympics, Nathan Adrian’s bid for a fourth appearance at the Summer Games came up just short when he finished third in the men’s 50 free.
The 32-year-old Adrian beat testicular cancer and arrived at Omaha as a new father. He hoped to cap the journey with a fourth Olympics, but the eight-time medalist failed to qualify for the final of the 100 free and wasn’t quite fast enough over one lap.
That’s OK.
He was eager to see his 4month-old daughter, Parker.
“My heart kind of explodes just thinking about it,” Adrian said. “I’m so excited to go hang out with her and hold her. I’ve got a lot to look forward to when I get home.”
Meanwhile in Eugene, Ore., Allyson Felix completed a comeback of her own, claiming a spot on her fifth Olympic team with her second-place finish in the 400 meters at the U.S. track and field trials.
The 35-year-old mom rallied from fifth at the start of the homestretch to earn the chance to win a 10th Olympic medal and break a tie with Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey as the most decorated female track athlete in the history of the games.
“It has been a fight to get here, and one thing I know how to do is to fight,” Felix said. “I just did it all the way home.”
She finished in 50.02 seconds, 0.24 behind Quanera Hayes and 0.01 ahead of Wadeline Jonathas.
“I just wanted to use my experience,” Felix said. “To make a fifth one, it’s so special.”