RIO DE JANEIRO -- Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in swimming Thursday night, tying for gold in the 100-meter freestyle with Penny Oleksiak of Canada.Manuel and Oleksiak both touched the wall in 52.70 seconds, breaking the Olympic record by one-hundredth of a second. Swedens Sarah Sjostrom took the bronze in 52.99.Manuel leaned her head into her hands and cried when she recognized her historic achievement in a sport that still has few African-Americans.Im just so blessed to have a gold medal, Manuel, 20, told NBC after the race. This medal is not just for me. Its for a whole bunch of people who came before me and have been an inspiration to me. ... Its for all the people after me who believe they cant do it, and I just want to be an inspiration to others that you can do it.Anthony Ervin is the only African-American male to win an individual Olympic gold in swimming. He tied for first in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2000 Olympics and is on the team again in Rio.Manuel, meanwhile, also became the first American to win gold in the womens 100 freestyle since 1984, when Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer shared first place.Manuel had to rally to get there.She was third at the halfway mark but surged past Australian Cate Campbell, who was on pace to take her world record even lower when she made the turn out front, with little sister Bronte right behind. But the Australian siblings, who teamed up to lead their country to gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay, couldnt hang on.Bronte faded to fourth, and Cate dropped all the way to sixth at the finish.Instead, it was Manuel -- her fingernails painted red, white and blue -- who touched at the same time as 16-year-old Oleksiak, the youngest swimmer in the field.Manuel and Oleksiak shared the top spot on the medal podium, with the U.S. anthem played first, followed by the Canadian anthem. Tears rolled down each of Manuels cheeks as she sang along.Its been a long journey, and Im super excited with where it has brought me, she said.Manuels victory took on added significance in a sport that still has few people of color, especially in light of the racial divide in the United States. She mentioned some of the issues with police brutality.I think that this win helps bring hope and change to some of the issues that are going on in the world, but I mean, I went out there and swam as fast as I could, and my color just comes with the territory, Manuel said.Until now, Cullen Jones had been the face of swimming for minorities in America, having won two golds and two silvers at the previous two Olympics. But Jones failed to make the U.S. team this year in what could have been his final attempt.Manuels teammate Lia Neal earned silver on the 4x100 free relay in Rio and bronze on the same relay four years ago in London. Maritza Correia won silver on the same relay at the 2004 Athens Games.Manuel singled out Jones, Neal and Correia for blazing a path.Neal pumped up Manuel before the night-time finals by singing and dancing together.That helped keep the nerves off me, Manuel said. After the race, I gave her a big hug and I cried and I told her, Thank you for everything youve done for me. Shes a huge part of my successes.Manuel, who attends Stanford and has a brother who played basketball at SMU, looks forward to a time when there is greater diversity in the pool.I would like there to be a day where there are more of us and its not Simone, the black swimmer, she said, because the title black swimmer makes it seem like Im not supposed to be able to win a gold medal or Im not supposed to be able to break records, and thats not true because I work just as hard as anybody else. I want to win just like everybody else.And Manuel hopes she can just be a swimmer and a champion without her race being a factor.Thats something I definitely struggled with a lot, she said. Just coming into this race, I kind of tried to take the weight of the black community off my shoulders, which is something I carry with me just being in this position. I do hope that kind of goes away.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Gary Clark Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Sleepy Floyd Jersey . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. https://www.cheaprocketsonline.com/557z-eddie-griffin-jersey-rockets.html . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Robert Horry Jersey . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. John Lucas II Jersey . -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. TROON, Scotland -- The pubs and bars in this quiet Scottish town had better ensure their cellars are fully stocked this weekend because Andrew Johnston is going for Open glory.The Englishman carded a second successive round of 69 to sit at 4 under and just six off leader Phil Mickelsons pace?headed into the weekend at Royal Troon.And one can only imagine the sort of party he would throw if he triumphed in his home major championship. This is, after all, the man who told ESPN he would be drunk for a week if he won the U.S. Open last month.Johnston, known as Beef to friends and fans alike, has developed something of a cult following with his bright persona, and the 27-year-old was unashamed in his ambition going into this weekend -- hes in Troon to win the big one.Why not? Johnston said when asked if he could catch Mickelson. Youve got to believe. If youre in the tournament, why cant you win it? But its miles off. Weve still got two rounds to go.Fridays wet and wild conditions stood in stark contrast to the balmy sunshine of Thursday, and Johnston caught the worst of the pouring rain as he teed off his second round shortly after 8 a.m. local time. But the world No. 104 insisted it was a case of mind over matter as the rain lashed down on the South Ayrshire coast.Youve just make sure youre concentrating, JJohnston said.dddddddddddd I dont like wearing too many layers -- I said to my caddie, I dont mind if I get a bit wet. As long as the clubs are dry and my hands are dry, Im happy.Johnstons broad grin and bushy beard mark him out as a character to follow on the course. He once celebrated a hole-in-one at the BMW PGA Championship by chest-bumping with a friend in the gallery, and spectators at Royal Troon have warmed to him as they await the first British winner here since Arthur Havers in 1923.But for all the laughs and antics, there should be no doubt over how seriously Johnston is taking his Open tilt, and he refused to let thoughts of lifting the Claret Jug cloud his concentration ahead of the traditional third-round moving day.Youre obviously thinking about whats going to happen Saturday and Sunday, but realistically you just got to stop talking about that, Johnston said. Now weve got 36 holes to play, so theres no point even thinking about it.Ive just got to go out and play tomorrow and see what happens after that and evaluate after the third round and go on from there.I dreamt of this as a kid, playing in these events and people shouting your name. I absolutely love it. ' ' '