Manuel Rebounds To Punch Ticket To Tokyo, Dressel Wins 50m Free

Omaha, United States, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jun, 2021 ) :Simone Manuel rebounded from crushing disappointment in the 100m freestyle to win the 50m free at the US Olympic swimming trials on Sunday and punch her ticket to Tokyo.

Manuel, who won 100m free gold in Rio de Janeiro four years ago, stunningly failed to qualify in that event, then revealed she had missed three weeks of training spanning March and April after she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome.

On the final night of the eight-day trials, the 24-year-old secured an Olympic berth, winning the 50m free in 24.29sec -- one one-hundredth of a second ahead of 100m free winner Abbey Weitzeil.

"Today may have been the longest day of my life," said Manuel, who fought back tears as she saw her name atop the leaderboard. "That 50 might have been the longest 50 of my life." Weitzeil launched herself into Manuel's lane for an emotional hug, and Manuel exited the water to a massive ovation.

"When I touched the wall I literally was like, "Please, God, please,'" Manuel said. "I turned to my right and Abbey was shooting over the lane line and I was like Abbey's got first or second so I'm on the team." Two days earlier, Manuel had candidly discussed her recent struggles, during which she battled heart rate spikes, insomnia, depression, anxiety and fatigue.

The problems began piling up in January as she felt the toll of the pandemic and toiling through an extra year of preparation for the delayed Tokyo Games.

Manuel, who was the first Black woman to win individual Olympic swimming gold, said she also felt the weight of a year in the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis sparked the biggest civil rights protests in the country since the 1960s.

When she was diagnosed in March with overtraining syndrome, she had a name for the problems she was having recovering and benefitting from training.

"The last couple weeks and months have been hard," she said. "I'm a consistent hard worker, so taking practices off because my body wasn't recovering or having to get out early because I may have been tired after a set was really hard for someone who loves to go to practice and work hard," she said.

"To be back on the team and have another opportunity to swim for Team USA really is a blessing. Hopefully I can swim faster so I can win a medal for Team USA." - Dressel wins 50m free - Caeleb Dressel won the men's 50m free, matching his American record of 21.04sec.

Dressel won his third event of the trials to set up a multi-event campaign in Tokyo that could also feature four relays.

Michael Andrew was second in 21.48 to give himself a third individual event in Tokyo, along with the 100m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley.

Nathan Adrian, whose five Olympic gold medals include the 100m free at the 2012 London Games, finished third in 21.73 in his last chance to make the Tokyo team.

The 32-year-old was vying to reach a fourth Olympics after treatment for testicular cancer diagnosed in 2019.

Bobby Finke won the men's 1,500m freestyle in 14min 46.06sec -- making him fourth-fastest in the world this year.

Michael Brinegar was second in 15:00.87 -- a repeat of their one-two finish in the 800m free.