Simone Manuel’s Teary-Eyed Comeback Has Fans Excited For Simone Biles to Make Paris Olympics Team

The Lucas Oil Stadium looked quite bountiful for many of the nation’s top swimming stars. Fans are being treated to some incredible performances in the pool, as the name that will represent the USA at the Paris Olympics is slowly being confirmed. While the inclusion of the likes of Katie Ledecky or Nic Fink in Team USA didn’t come as any surprise, swimmers like Simone Manuel have had a tougher time getting their names on the list. And that’s making fans brace up to see her namesake Simone Biles in action next week.

The journey to her third Olympic team wasn’t an easy one for Manuel. Struggling with overtraining syndrome, the 27-year-old had a long rough patch, which finally seems to be over, and fans can’t help but speculate how her achievement will boost the iconic gymnast’s Paris dream.

The official Team USA Instagram account shared Manuel’s latest feat from Indianapolis. With a fourth-place finish (53.25 seconds) in the women’s 100m relay, Simone punched her ticket to Paris, and her heightened emotions were captured in the recent post. Captioned, “brb crying while posting again,” the post shows an overwhelmed Simone unable to hold back her tears as she is hugged by her teammates.

When her tryst with OTS pushed her to the sideline right after the last Games, Manuel was at her lowest. “It’s probably the most boring months of my life…I really needed to process it and come to terms with everything,” said the swimmer in an interview with AP News earlier this month. And now, finally, things are looking brighter and the official USA IG account couldn’t help but reiterate how proud the country feels seeing Manuel inching her way back to the top.

Naturally, when the name “Simone” is discussed, few Americans go by without bringing in the five-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles. With Manuel overcoming her own demons, the nation’s collective attention now turns to Biles to see if she too can bounce back from the ordeal that restricted the latter from a top-of-the-podium finish in Tokyo.

Fans quick to jump on the speculation bandwagon

The Olympic careers of both Manuel and Biles have followed a somewhat similar trajectory: bursting into the international scene at the 2016 Olympics, then their troubles making the Tokyo Olympics a nightmarish affair, and then their bid to return to the top of the food chain in Paris. Taking how they have both been part of the American delegation in two Olympics, Jocelyn claimed that with Manuel having secured her place, Biles cannot be far behind.

Another fan also made it clear that Team USA can’t go to the French capital with only one Simone on the roster. “One Simone is never enough,” reads the fan’s comment.

The US Gymnastics Olympic Team Trials will commence next week in Minneapolis, and Evie is also sure of the fact that it’s only a matter of time before the Columbus-bron Biles also gets her ticket to Paris. “simone manuel made the olympic team that’s going to be simone biles soon also,” noted the confident fan.

“Rooting for both Simones to make the Olympics together,” wrote another enthusiast, Katie, who also looks to be adamant that Biles needs to show the naysayers that she is in a whole different zone ahead of the upcoming Games. Biles had to pull out of the final game in Tokyo because of a severe case of the “twisties,” which disrupted her composure. But the reigning all-around world champ is set on reclaiming her throne.

Even after the relentless attack against Biles after the incident three years ago, it was Manuel who stood by the former’s side despite all the criticism. Now, as Biles returns to her element next week, what do you think she has in store for her fans as a hint of her plans for in Paris?