Rio revelation now has tidal

Simone Manuel, a surprise at the Rio Olympics, could be a major star at the Tokyo Games, writes Rick Maese.

Four years ago, Simone Manuel was a college champion who had never won an international race. She was largely unknown until she touched the wall at the end of the Rio Olympics 100-metres freestyle, tying for first place and becoming the first AfricanAmerican woman swimmer to win a gold medal in an individual event.

This July, coronavirus threat permitting, she’ll be one of the biggest names at the Tokyo Games. These days, Manuel appears in commercials and ad campaigns, and she’ll be a regular presence on NBC’s primetime telecasts. She’s got a signature swimline produced by TYR and is backed by some of the biggest corporate sponsors, such as CocaCola, Toyota and Nike.

Her coach offers this hint as to why: ‘‘She’s better than she’s ever been,’’ Greg Meehan said.

The bar is already high – she won four medals at the Rio Olympics – but Manuel has a chance to clear it this year. With mixed relays added to the Tokyo programme, she could have a shot at six Olympic medals.

That’s how many she won at the world championships last year, including five golds, and if she attempts the same programme in Tokyo, Manuel could match the American record for most medals at a single Olympics by a female athlete. Swimmer Natalie Coughlin won six medals at the 2008 Games, though no American female athlete has won more than four gold medals at a single Olympics.

Manuel, 23, is competing at this week’s TYR Pro Series event in Des Moines, but the progress isn’t necessarily glowing on the leader board. Manuel has now raced at two Pro Series stops and both times finished second in the 100-metre freestyle. She was edged out by Canadian Penny Olesiak, the 2016 co-Olympic champion, in Knoxville, Tennessee, in January, and was beat by Siobhan Haughey on Friday in Des Moines.

‘‘Her event profile and her physique makes coming to meets like this a challenge,’’ Meehan said. ‘‘She’s one that’s just so strong and works so hard, it takes time for her to rest and be really good. Her deal is: ‘When it’s time to go, I’m going to be really good.’ That’s her training, her strength

GETTY IMAGES Simone Manuel, of the United States, wins gold in the 100m freestyle at Rio in 2016, above, as she burst onto the world swimming scene. She is now one of the most marketable athletes in the US.