• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Wellness / Womens Health / Swimmers Lia Neal & Simone Manuel Make Olympic History!

Swimmers Lia Neal & Simone Manuel Make Olympic History!

history
#WeSeeYou is BlackDoctor.org’s new series that highlights those who are doing something incredible in health or the community that should be celebrated. This week, we honor Lia Neal and Simone Manuel!

In 2012, Lia Neal, an African-American and Chinese-American woman, became the second Black woman to qualify for an Olympic swimming team — and now she, and her friend/fellow swimmer, are making history again.

Neal — who won the Bronze medal in the 2012 games — qualified for the Olympic swim team on July 3 alongside her Stanford teammate, Simone Manuel.

When the two swimmers head to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August, they’ll be the first pair of Black female swimmers to compete simultaneously.

The pair, both good friends, landed a spot on the 4 x 100 freestyle team. Madame Noire notes that both women have previously made history, as Neal won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay at the 2012 Olympics in London. And in 2015, Neal and Manuel were two of three Black people to place in the top three spots for the 100-yard freestyle during the Women’s NCAA swimming championships. Manuel came in first, Neal came in second and swimmer Natalie Hinds came in third.

You May Also Like
How One Woman Eliminated 50 Fibroids without Surgery!

Both athletes reacted to the news on Twitter, making sure to thank those who helped them achieve this historic feat.

Lia tweeted, “I’m a two-time Olympian and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family, coaches, and friends. I am thankful beyond words. ”

MUST SEE: Four Ways You Can Get Your Hair Pool Ready 

Manuel also told NBC Sports that she’s eager to compete with swimmers from around the globe. “Just making the team in itself is a great accomplishment,” she said. “Just getting to Rio, all the nerves will be gone and I think I’ll be able to swim a little bit faster.”

You May Also Like
15 Natural Remedies for Aches and Pains

Even though these two are making history, there is still a long way to go with African Americans and swimming.

A 2008 USA Swimming study found that 58% of Black children can’t swim. Moreover, 70% of African-American children have low swimming abilities. This alarming statistic has a direct connection to history, since there was a time when Black Americans weren’t allowed to enter or swim in neighborhood pools.

In the early 19th and 20th centuries, pools sprang up in poor, immigrant, and working-class white neighborhoods. Yet, pools weren’t opened in predominantly Black American neighborhoods.

But thank God for a change in history!

Don’t forget to add these two incredible, history-making, young women to the list of Olympians you’ll be cheering on this summer.

We see you!

For more, check us out here.

July 15, 2016 by Gemma Greene

Read Next Article

The Latest In Womens Health

6 Reasons To Eat Flaxseed

For something so small, flaxseed has big benefits. Recent studies have shown that flaxseed, known to the world for thousands of years, may aid in lowering cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar, reducing bone loss, promoting weight loss, increasing immunity, and fighting read more about 6 Reasons To Eat Flaxseed
things you need postpartum

Happy Healing: Five Things You’ll Need Postpartum

When I gave birth to my first child, I had a vaginal delivery and I did not take an epidural. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I found myself focused on learning how to care for my read more about Happy Healing: Five Things You’ll Need Postpartum
how to clean uterus naturally at home

Uterus Cleaning: 3 Herbs To Detox Your Uterus

Many herbs can be used to stimulate and detox your uterus, improve its tone and ease menstrual or menopausal symptoms. Here are 3 herbs that aid you in cleaning your uterus naturally. RELATED: 10 Herbs For A Healthy Womb Ginger Ginger read more about Uterus Cleaning: 3 Herbs To Detox Your Uterus
abortion pills

FDA Says Retail Pharmacies Can Now Offer Abortion Pills

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a regulatory change on Tuesday that allows retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills. Before now, patients could only get this two-drug medication through clinics, doctors and a handful of mail-order pharmacies. Two companies read more about FDA Says Retail Pharmacies Can Now Offer Abortion Pills
Fertility Treatment

Having Trouble Conceiving? Here Are 7 Options For Fertility Treatment

As women, eventually the realities of conceiving start to settle within our consciousness and needs. In time, we often take heed to our "womanly gift" and long for what’s innate: motherhood. For some, this gift may not come so easily. read more about Having Trouble Conceiving? Here Are 7 Options For Fertility Treatment

Marsai Martin Gets Ovarian Cyst Removed After Years of “Constant Pain”

Marsai Martin is sending a message to the younger generation after revealing that she recently had surgery to remove a large cyst that had been bothering her for over four years. "If you missed my live, long story short, I read more about Marsai Martin Gets Ovarian Cyst Removed After Years of “Constant Pain”

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Mo’Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: “I Love Us For Real”Mo'Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: "I Love Us For Real"
  • Chef Babette Davis: Making 70+ Look Simply Delicious!Chef Babette Davis: Making 70+ Look Simply Delicious!
  • Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!
  • Monica Calhoun at 51: “Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside”Monica Calhoun at 51: "Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside"
  • John David Washington: “They Tried To Use My Name Against Me”John David Washington: "They Tried To Use My Name Against Me"

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.