When the 200m free event is already moving leaves in the presence of Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh’s fight, Simone Manuel made her sacrifice on Thursday to throw a bigger picture. In the ongoing TYR Pro Swim Series in Westmont, Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh were absent in the 200m free event. Moreover, in the 100m fly event B final, Simone Manuel proved to be a clear favorite despite her irregular spree at the swimming event.

Ultimately, the former Olympic champion decided to go with the 200m free event, scratching the fly event. Eventually, the 27-year-old swimmer earned her victory in 1:57.80 timing. With that, she articulated her comeback strategy, dismissing the claws of any barrier. 

Simone Manuel wins the race and bigger battles 

After defeating spearheads like Katie Grimes and Leah Hayes on Thursday, visibly merrier Simone Manuel articulated some golden words. A firm believer in confidence ultimately mentioned her mindset after winning the battle against Overtraining syndrome. “Continue to put in the work and do really good stuff in practice and then just go to a meet and just have fun with it,” was the four-sentence mantra for Simone. The snippet went on X from USA Swimming’s handle and a riveting caption: “Keep the main thing the main thing, which is progressing and having fun”.

Reportedly, the ‘fun’ part was absent in the former world champion’s daily deeds, with swimming in the past. In January 2021, Simone Manuel revealed the existence of the disease to her coach. With time, it became overwhelming. “The first time I’d heard of [overtraining syndrome] was when the doctor said it,” she expressed to Yahoo Sports once.

But being a natural fighter, Simone kept on fighting and continued to become unparalleled. Eventually, after winning the bronze 4x100m free relay event in the Tokyo Olympics, the maven swimmer went off the hook. Time passed for her away from the limelight, taking steps for a return. 

Some late-received motivations unfolding greater things

Today, Simone Manuel re-shared the mentioned snippet, adding the swimming and burning love emojis. For a swimmer who never enjoyed much discussion and limelight, the situation went out of hand in that 2021 period. The 50m and 100m freestyle queen lost her interest and appetite because of the Overtraining syndrome. But the self-nourished moments and the change of coaching helped Simone deeply. 

Read more: “She’s That Kind of Person”: US Olympic Gold Medalist Decodes Katie Ledecky’s Swimming Legacy

“After a long and much needed break, I have made major changes. I’m excited to announce that I will be training at ASU under the guidance of Bob Bowman and the coaching staff at ASU!”,  she posted on IG in August 2022. Since then, a lot has changed in her life. In the US Open last year, Simone Manuel claimed her sub-53 timing in the 100-free event. Her wedding with her beau, Denzel Franklin, just before the US Open, also made her contained. So, in the Olympic year, the inspiring champion is all set to reflect on her terms, continuing the ‘fun’. 

Also read: 5 Big US Swimming Stars to Watch Out for at TYR Pro Series 2024