Who Are Simone Manuel’s Parents and Siblings? Diving into the US Swimming Sensation’s Family and Early Years

While the world is engrossed in Simone Biles’ chances in Paris, another Simone is here to steal the show. US freestyle swimmer Simone Manuel has made her name among swimming afficionados as an electric prospect. Having already won a couple of Olympic gold medals, Manuel is eyeing for her 3rd Olympic gold. Meanwhile, with a total gold medal tally of 12, and having won a whopping 13 World Championships, Simone Manuel is quite the sensation in American waters. 

Her 200m freestyle best of 1:57.80s is surely impressive. But Manuel will try to eclipse Ariarne Titmus’ time of 1:52:23s. And while she is doing all the hard work firsthand, providing support behind the scenes is her family. Manuel’s mom, dad and both of her two brothers are immensely supportive and help her make important life decisions for her benefit. Here’s everything to know about Simone Manuel’s parents and siblings. 

Simone Manuel’s childhood amid her supportive parents and siblings

Simone Manuel holds the prestigious honor of being the first black woman to win the gold medal at an individual swimming event. And behind this success lies the deep-rooted support of her family. Born in Sugarland, Texas, Simone has immensely supportive parents, Sharron and Marc Manuel. Before delving into their professional lives, both of Simone’s parents were NCAA athletes. This was a major reason for Simone getting pushed to follow her dreams. 

As per information provided by Distractify, Sharron works as a pharmacist and Marc holds the designation of being a business analyst for Shell. However, besides being a thorough professional, Sharron also has a knack for cooking. Back in 2016, Simone’s mother shared her favorite dish which was the Cajun shrimp pasta. She later mentioned that this particular dish reminded her of her home in New Orleans. 

Apart from Simone Manuel’s parents, another huge pillar of her support are her two brothers, Ryan and Chris. Both of them are NCAA athletes, specializing in basketball and dreaming of making it to the NBA someday soon. And no doubt, it is the result of all this support that Simone Manuel is such a big name today. Otherwise, she was ready to quit swimming! 

How did Simone Manuel’s mother’s intervention saved her swimming career?

Simone Manuel was interested in both swimming and dancing. Her mother Sharron, being the sport she is, encouraged Simone to continue both disciplines. However, when Simone was around 10 years of age, she wanted to discontinue swimming to persist with dancing. Once again, Sharron came to her daughter’s rescue and counseled her in continuing both swimming and dancing like before. 

Having received such incredible support from her parents, Simone too does not shy away from expressing her love. Back in 2020, Simone posted a heartfelt note on the occasion of Mother’s Day. She wrote, “Kissing, hugging, and loving you from afar. Happy Mother’s Day to my beautiful mother. You do it all with so much strength, grace, and love!” Thus, as the golden glory beckons, Simone Manuel will have herself boosted with her family’s support. And if she does manage to add to her tally of Olympic medals, none would be as happy as Sharron, Marc, and her two brothers.