It was a truly historic moment when Simone Manuel claimed gold at the 2016 Rio Games, and now she’s heading for the 2024 Paris Olympics to hopefully do it again. Manuel, 27, is sensibly taking time for herself in the run up to the competition by enjoying beach days and sunshine. The athlete shared pictures of herself strolling on a beach, wearing black shorts and a t-shirt. “Grounding with a sighting of Shamu 🐳 ☀️ 🏖️,” she captioned the post. Here’s how Manuel stays fit, happy, and focused.
Manuel tries to live a balanced life as an elite athlete. “Balancing my mental and physical health really is a daily practice and I don’t always have it together,” she told Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. “I wish I did, but I’m only human, and so it’s really about understanding when I may not be in a good place or when I might be struggling, and having the awareness to use tools to help me get out of that place.”
Manuel has always had high standards for herself. “I’ve always been a person who likes to dream big, who has very aggressive goals,” she told AP. “It would be unfair of me to lower my standards. but at the same time, I do have to give myself grace because this journey is like no other that I’ve ever had in this sport.”
Manuel wants to emphasize the point that rest is necessary for all athletes. “I think especially as athletes, we sometimes think that taking rest is a sign of weakness, but with the grueling and daunting schedules that we have, it’s really important to listen to your body, but also your mind when you need to take some time for yourself,” she told Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. “Sometimes you can feel pressure to continue to train hard or push your body to limits that are far beyond what it should be reaching, and I think it’s really important to advocate for yourself when you do need that rest.”
Manuel launched a foundation to encourage people of color to swim. “We’re not going to see more diversity in the sport if it doesn’t start at the grassroots level,” she told AP. “Swimming should be something that’s really positive within the Black community, but historically it hasn’t been.”
Manuel is incredibly proud of her TOGETHXR documentary Head Above Water, which tells Manuel’s story. “I just hope that people take away bits and pieces of the story that can relate to their own personal life to better know how to manage it, but to [also] know that they’re not alone,” she told Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. “I think that is one of the most important things—so many people in this world deal with some of the same things in different ways and to have a sense of community and [to] know that you’re not dealing with [your struggle] alone, I think is something that is really special.”