At the 2024 Nova Speedo Grand Challenge, Simone Manuel broke the meet record in the Women’s 100 Free final with a time of 53.10. This was her fastest time since 2019 and tied exactly her time from prelims of the 2019 World Championships.
The top four finishers in the event were Simone Manuel (TXLA) with a time of 53.10, Anicka Delgado (EVO) with 55.71, Claire Weinstein (SAND) with 55.87, and Paige Madden (NYAC) with 56.59. Manuel’s performance was a testament to her progress since the 2019 World Championships where she won the title in this event with a time of 52.04.
After competing at the 2019 World Championships, Manuel competed in the Wave II Olympic Trials in 2021 where she finished ninth with a time of 54.17 despite not making it into the ‘A’ final there. However, she anchored the US women’s 4×100 free relay to a bronze medal with a split of 52.96 that year. Manuel’s recent breakthrough of breaking under the five-second mark with a split of 53.65 at the US Open in December has now put her around that mark just six months later at this meet.
As more American swimmers like Kate Douglass consistently stay under fifty-three seconds, competition for spots at upcoming events is becoming increasingly competitive ahead of the Olympics trials in two years from now
