Simone Manuel Stumbles in 50m Free, Misses Olympic Semifinals

Several high-profile swimmers have failed to even make the finals in some of their best events.

NANTERRE, France — In an unexpected twist at the Paris Olympics, Simone Manuel, a notable figure on the American swim team, faced elimination in the preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle on Saturday.

Manuel clocked in at 24.87 seconds, placing 18th in the frantic sprint. This time was insufficient for advancing to the evening semifinals.

The first Black woman to clinch an individual gold in swimming, Manuel missed the top 16 by 0.15 seconds and lagged 1.02 seconds behind Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström, the fastest qualifier.

Expressing clear frustration, Manuel walked briskly past reporters, declining to take any questions.

The United States entered the penultimate day of the competition with 21 medals, four of which were gold. This outcome has largely been seen as underwhelming for a team known for its dominance in swimming.

Caeleb Dressel, who secured five golds in Tokyo, was eliminated in the semifinals of the 100-meter butterfly. He was visibly emotional as he left the pool deck.

Veteran backstroker Ryan Murphy garnered a bronze in the 100-meter backstroke but fell short in the 200-meter semifinal, unable to reclaim his titles from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.