RIO DE JANEIRO -- For 16 years, through Olympics in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and Rio, African-Americans swam under a microscope for their country. Chandler Hutchison Jersey .Questions about oddity and identity weighed them down as they tried to outrace history and the competition. Finally, on Thursday night, Simone Manuels gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle turned a liberating page for black swimmers.Trailing by an ominous half-second at the turn, Manuel used a furious closing charge to finish tied with Penny Oleksiak of Canada in an Olympic and American record of 52.70. Manuel is the first African-American woman to win an individual swimming medal at any Olympic Games.After shedding tears on the medal stand while the national anthem played, Manuel thanked black predecessors like Cullen Jones and Maritza Correia in acknowledging the historic nature of her victory.The gold medal wasnt just for me, it was for people who came before me and inspired me to stay in the sport, said the 20-year-old Stanford University student from the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, Texas. And for people who believe that they cant do it. I hope that Im an inspiration to others to get out there and try swimming.Decades after the end of Jim Crow laws that kept blacks out of white pools, African-Americans still have a complicated relationship with swimming.If a parent cant swim, theres only a 13 percent chance their child will learn, according to a 2010 report commissioned by USA Swimming. The report found that 69 percent of black children and 58 percent of Latino children cannot swim, compared with 42 percent of white children. Black children drown at a rate almost three times higher than white children.Rio is the first Olympics where the U.S. swim team has two black women -- Manuel and her close friend Lia Neal, who won a silver medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Manuel and Neal fielded so many black swimmer questions leading up to their races, it threatened to slow them down in the pool.Thats something I definitely struggled with a lot, Manuel said. Just coming into this race tonight, I kind of tried to take the weight of the black community off my shoulders, which is something I carry with me.Im super glad with the fact I can be an inspiration to others and hopefully diversify the sport. But at the same time, I would like there to be a day where there are more of us, and its not Simone the black swimmer. The title black swimmer makes it seem like Im not supposed to be able to win a gold medal, or Im not supposed to be able to break records. And thats not true.Manuels father, Mark Manuel, played basketball at the historically black Xavier University in New Orleans, and works in information technology. Her mother, Sharron, is a pharmacist. Simone started swimming at age 4 because her parents wanted her to be safe in the water. She almost chose to pursue ballet before choosing swimming.In Rio, coiled in her stance to begin the final, Manuel seemed to flinch just before the gun and did not get a great start. At the turn, she trailed by .47 of a second -- the basketball equivalent of a 15-point halftime deficit. But Manuel started to close over the last 25 meters, and with 15 to go, she put her head down and gutted out gold.After the race she immediately hugged Neal, who also attends Stanford. They appear often together on Manuels Instagram feed -- in the weight room, poolside in sunglasses, flaunting bikinis and ripped abs, and in a series of Fleek Films videos featuring two lit gurls on the road to Rio.Lia and I have this very special relationship, Manuel said. I wouldnt be where I am right now without her.Neal, 21, whose father is black and mother is Chinese-American, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and speaks Mandarin. She said the constant questions about being a black swimmer can be difficult, but I think thats just what comes with the territory of making history. Youre going to be faced with the question a lot, because its so new, she said before Manuels gold-medal race.Even though I get the question a lot and Im getting tired of it, other people who havent gotten the chance to speak to Simone or me, theyre all the more excited, so its fine.Tallying up the previous black U.S. Olympic swimmers is interesting.The lineage begins in 2000, with Anthony Ervin, whose father is black and Native American and mother is Jewish. Ervin won silver in the 4x100 freestyle relay in 2000 and tied for gold in the 50 freestyle. After a long hiatus, Ervin returned to the 2012 Olympics in London and is now in Rio at age 35.Ervin is fair-skinned with straight hair. In 2000, he was barraged with questions about being the first black Olympic swimmer, but I didnt know a thing about what it was like to be part of the black experience, Ervin told Rolling Stone in 2012. But now I do. Its like winning gold and having a bunch of old, white people ask you what its like to be black. That is my black experience.In 2004, Correia, also known by her married surname of McClendon, became the first woman of African descent to swim for the U.S. Olympic team. She was born in Puerto Rico to parents who emigrated from Guyana.In 2008, Jones won gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay, setting a world record of 3:08.24 on a team that included Michael Phelps. In 2012, Jones won silver in the 50 freestyle, silver in the 4x100 freestyle relay and gold in the 4x100 medley relay.Neal picked up the baton in 2012, when she made the Olympic team at age 17 and won bronze in the 4x100 freestyle relay. She finished fourth at this years U.S. trials to qualify for the relay team in Rio.Neal swam her Rio relay leg in 53.63, just .10 of a second faster than her time in the 2012 Olympics and significantly slower than she had been swimming this year. She did not participate in the final as the 4x100 team won silver, and that was devastating, she said.I was really upset after my race, just with myself. I was just like, why? I put so much more into these Games than I did in 2012. Why didnt it show? Neal said.She was in a funk until two days later, when the swimmers in the preliminary round received their medals during an impromptu ceremony with the womens team.Just seeing it in my hand, I think thats when all my negative thoughts and emotions just kind of went away, she said. My time may not have shown it, but I put in all the effort, and I did everything that I could have, so Im very happy with where I am, getting a silver medal. One step up from my bronze in 2012.What will she tell her grandchildren about being an Olympian? It was the experience of a lifetime, she said. Ive grown to understand that 99 percent of the rest of the world will never have that opportunity. It was an honor and a blessing, and just very humbling to be able to be one of the few people to represent an entire country, and to also have your entire country supporting you.Not to mention the black community, which made Simone Manuel a top trending topic on Twitter after her victory.It means a lot, especially with whats going on in the world today, some of the issues with police brutality, Manuel said. I think this [gold medal] will kind of help bring hope and change to some of the issues going on in the world.I mean, I went out there and swam as fast as I could. My color just comes with the territory. Robin Lopez Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Cameron Payne Jersey . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. http://www.bullsofficialsshop.com/kids-michael-jordan-bulls-jersey/ .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Isaiah McKenzies last big play made Kirby Smart a winner in his conference debut.Jacob Eason threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to McKenzie on fourth down with 1:31 seconds to play to give No. 16 Georgia a 28-27 victory over Missouri on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.They never stopped fighting, Smart said. They never stopped believing, and Im proud of that.I appreciate that and were tough on them. We are tough on these kids every day so they respond to it and they did tonight.McKenzie caught 10 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score. He was targeted 16 times in the pass game and also carried the ball twice for 19 yards, with a 6-yard touchdown run near the end of the first quarter.It feels good to be that guy that they can go to and I can make a big play for them and I thank our coaches for believing in me, my team for believing in me and it brings joy to my heart that they believe in me to make big plays for them, he said.After splitting time with senior Greyson Lambert in the Bulldogs first two games, Eason played every snap, completing 29 of 55 passes for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.The Tigers (1-2) turned the ball over five times, including four in the second half. Missouris Drew Lock was 23 of 38 for 376 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.Its tough, Missouri coach Barry Odom said. When you dont win the turnover margin its going to be hard to win.I hurt for my guys ... We didnt make enough plays to win it and I didnt put them in a position to get it done. Im frustrated.Following Easons late touchdown pass, Missouri took over at its own 30-yard line with 1:21 remaining. On the ensuing play, Lock found JMon Moore over the middle for a 20-yard reception. However, Moore fumbled the ball and Georgia defensive back Juwuan Briscoe recovered it. Briscoe finished with threee tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Custom Chicago Bulls Jerseys. Moore had eight catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns, including a 79-yard score that gave the Tigers a 20-14 lead midway through the second quarter.The Bulldogs (3-0) were 0 for 2 on field goal attempts. William Ham missed two field goals wide left, both of which were set up by Missouri interceptions.Georgia defensive back Kirby Choates was ejected late in the fourth quarter for a targeting hit on a bizarre special teams play. Georgia was flagged for both kick-catch interference on the 35-yard punt and Choates targeting hit on Missouri returner Johnathon Johnson. Missouri accepted the targeting penalty, resulting in a first down at the Tigers 44-yard line.TAKEAWAYS:Missouri: After a relatively unproductive output through two weeks, Missouris defensive line was relentless in the trenches, accounting for 22 tackles, including 5 1/2 for loss. After making just five tackles through Missouris first two games, defensive end Charles Harris had seven tackles to go with three sacks.Georgia: Nick Chubb had 38 carries for 143 yards and touchdown against Missouri in 2014, but was somewhat ineffective Saturday with 19 carries for 63 yards. Chubb averaged nearly 6 yards per carry heading into the game, but managed just over 3 yards per rush.POLL IMPLICATIONSWith teams such as No. 13 Iowa and No. 14 Oklahoma losing just ahead of them, the Bulldogs should easily move up a few places in the rankings on Sunday.UP NEXT:Missouri: The Tigers host Delaware State (0-2) next Saturday in the first meeting between the schools.Georgia: The Bulldogs visit No. 19 Ole Miss (1-2, 0-1 SEC) next Saturday. 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