Simone Manuel leaned her head into her hands and cried when she recognized her historic achievement.
With her victory in the 100-meter freestyle, she became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming.
The 20-year-old Manuel upset world-record holder Cate Campbell of Australia and tied with Penny Oleksiak of Canada at the Rio Games on Thursday night.
"I hope that I can be an inspiration to others, so this medal is for the people who come behind me and get into the
