"It didn't matter how I did it"- Simone Manuel recalls how Michael Phelps' ex-coach Bob Bowman pushed her through insane training set

Simone Manuel recently revealed that she struggled to go through one of the most intense training sets of Michael Phelps' former coach Bob Bowman. The Olympic champion was returning from a five-month break at the time and didn't complete the set.

Manuel was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and remained sidelined from the pool for a long time. She returned to training in 2023, shifting to Arizona to train under Bowman.

Speaking during a recent interview with Social Kick Swim, the 28-year-old said she was broken by Bowman's first set, which she described as follows:

"I remember Bob handing me the sheet, and it read, and it was a 100, then a 100, a 200, then a 100, a 200, a 300, then a 100, a 200, a 300, a 400, then a 100, a 200, a 300, a 400, a 500 and I got out but it was 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 60."

She further added:

"It didn't matter how I did it, but it was just about doing it, and I did it."

Simone Manuel is one of the most decorated female American swimmers and was the first black woman in history to win an individual Olympic title in swimming. She won four medals, including two gold medals on her debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics and one medal each at the 2020 and 2024 Games.

Simone hasn't competed since getting eliminated in the preliminary round of the women's 50m freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is expected to return to action for the World Championships later this year in Singapore.

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Simone Manuel earned high praise from Michael Phelps after qualifying for Paris Olympics

Simone Manuel at The Today Show Gallery of Olympians - Source: Getty

While Simone Manuel returned to training in 2023, she skipped the World Championships and only competed at lower tier competitions, with her first appearance at the TYR Pro Swim Series Knoxville 2023. She gradually leveled up and returned to the first big competition at last year's Olympic trials.

She won the 50m freestyle at the trials, and 23-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps was seen getting hyped over her performance. He congratulated Manuel with a heartfelt note afterwards, writing:

"The beauty of Olympic trials! Congrats @swimone!! I know the journey wasn't ez- but what matters most is what's done, day in and day out... when no one is watching!!!" Phelps wrote on X.

In addition to the five Olympic medals, Manuel has won 19 at the World Championships, including 12 gold medals.