Texas-native Simone Manuel, 19, took her place in Olympic history Thursday night, becoming the first African-American woman to win gold in swimming after tying with 16-year-old Canadian for the top spot in the 100 freestyle.
“All Glory to God. I’m so blessed,” she said in an emotional interview after her historic win.
Manuel has consistently given credit to God for her sucess. After qualifying for the Olympics, Manuel wrote about her faith in a Twitter post.
“All glory to God. Isn’t he awesome! I am extremely blessed. A long, tough year, but many more good things to come,” she said.
Manuel also won a silver medal in the Rio games as a part of the U.S. women’s 4×100 relay team.
You can watch Manuel compete again Friday at 12 p.m. in the 50-meter freestyle.
