Simone Manuel (born August 2, 1996) is an American competition swimmer. She currently holds the American record in the 100-yard freestyle.
Manuel is originally from Sugar Land, Texas, where she swam at her local club, First Colony Swim Team. Manuel is the youngest of three and began swimming at age 5 by watching her two older brothers. She joined the First Colony Swim Team at age 11, where she swam under head coach Alison Beebe throughout her early career. She graduated from Austin High School in Sugar Land in 2014. In the fall of 2014, Manuel began attending Stanford University and currently swims for coach Greg Meehan’s Stanford Cardinal women’s swimming team. At Stanford, Manuel is a two-time individual NCAA champion: winning the 50- and 100-yard freestyle in 2015.
At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, Manuel placed 20th in the 50-meter freestyle (25.63) 17th in 100-meter freestyle (55.45).
At the 2013 US National Championships, Manuel qualified for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona by placing 2nd in the 50-meter freestyle and 3rd in the 100-meter freestyle. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, Manuel earned a gold medal while swimming on the U.S. team in the preliminary heats of 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Swimming on the lead-off leg in the heats, Manuel recorded a time of 54.23. In her only individual event, the 50-meter freestyle, Manuel finished 7th overall with a time of 24.80.
At the 2014 U.S. National Championships, the qualifying meet for both the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, Manuel finished 1st in the 50-meter freestyle (24.56), 2nd in the 100-meter freestyle (53.66), and 7th in the 200-meter freestyle (1:58.79). At the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, Manuel won two silver medals and a bronze. Her silvers came in the 4×100-meter freestyle and medley relay and in the 100-meter freestyle final, Manuel finished third with a time of 53.71. Manuel also competed in the 50-meter freestyle and finished 4th with a time of 24.70.
In 2015, Manuel became one of the first three African-Americans to place in the top three spots at the 100 yard freestyle in any Women’s Division I NCAA Swimming Championship; she was first, Lia Neal was second, and Natalie Hinds was third.