OMAHA, Neb. – Simone Manuel, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 freestyle who failed to qualify for the final in that event Thursday night at the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials, revealed she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome in March and spent three weeks out of the pool two months before the trials.
"It was kind of one of those bittersweet moments where my body wasn’t doing what I knew it was capable of," said Manuel, 24, the only Black female swimmer to win an individual Olympic gold medal and one of the most popular and recognizable names in her sport.