Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Simone Manuel attended theΒ 21stΒ Annual Arthur Ashe Kidsβ DayΒ – official kick off to the US Open in Flushing Meadow, Queens.
Q: Youβre so young and coming back with four medals, whatβs next on the agenda for you?
SM: Right now Iβm just doing media obligations, taking everything as it comes and then Iβll be heading back to school to swim for Stanford and Iβll also join some classes.
Q: For those who donβt know, what are you actually majoring in?
SM: I am majoring in communication and media.
Q: Is there any ideas of you actually hosting another Olympics somewhere down the line?
SM: I donβt know if Iβll do broadcasting, but I think the times that Iβm in the Olympics will be when Iβm competing.
Q: Are you competing in the next Olympics? Have you made the decision yet?
SM: Yes, that is the plan⦠to be in Tokyo in 2020.
Q: Whatβs on your iPod? When you guys have a downtime before you do your heats, what are you listening to?
SM: Iβm listening to gospel music. Most of the times I donβt listen to music before my races, but for some reason at this Olympics I did and I was listening to gospel.
Q: Can you reflect on the whole experience? Obviously you came out as a big winner, but can you give me a little reflection on how everything went?
SM: *laughs* I havenβt had time to sit back and think about it. The whole experience is a whirlwind. You kind of just take everything as it comes and go with the flow. I had a lot of fun overall and I enjoyed the time with my teammates and representing my country. Also just cheering on my teammates and having fun with all the people that were there.
Q: Who are your favorite tennis players?
SM: Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal!
Q: You said Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal are your favorite tennis players, so did you get any opportunity to meet up with any of the athletes and just hang around with them?
SM: I did meet Serena and Allyson Felix and that was pretty much it. Swimming is kind of its own bubble and even though we were with the rest of team USA in the village, most of the time everyone is doing their own thing and getting ready for their competition so you donβt really want to distract them, but I did meet Serena and Allyson Felix.
